You’re Not Enough

Glad you’re here! Before you decide to not read this post based on its title, I ask that you reconsider and I hope that it not only encourages you, but helps you to maybe un-believe some lies that have been fed to us as Christian women.

In the world, and by world, I mean America because that is the only context I know. We are constantly told that we’re enough. We’re told that we are perfect the way we are. We’re told that we’re a princess. That we deserve all of the things we want and should receive them. We are told that we don’t need anything or anyone to complete us. These lies have crept into Christian churches and are almost mindlessly being swallowed up like a Starbucks refresher.

Listen sis, it is true that we have been fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God, our wonderful Creator. The Bible does call those that have placed their trust in Christ a royal priesthood. And sure, another human being is unable to make us whole. So I guess the thought of not needing anyone or anything has some truth to it. However, it is not complete truth. Having been fearfully and wonderfully knitted in the womb of our mother does not equal perfection on this side of heaven. It does not mean that we were born without flaw. Sin is intertwined in our DNA. We were born into a world that has been tainted with sin and we are not an exception to its touch. We are not deserving of only good things to happen to us. No, we don’t deserve to get all the things we desire even if they are good things. And yes, there are things about us that should change.

When I was younger and a new believer I was told that I was now a princess and that one day I would receive a crown. That made me feel so special. But you know what? It didn’t lead me to love God more. It actually led me to love myself more and to want to exalt myself. I learned how to play church and learned to disguise my “faith” in Christ but it actually was just about me. I was God’s princess. Why should I suffer? Why can’t I do what I want? Why should I restrain myself from selfish pursuits? I was enough and no change really needed to happen. The faith that I claimed to have in Christ was not a genuine one but it was something that I looked at as a way out consequence of sin and as a way to feed my selfish heart. I later learned that although, the person who had called me ‘Princess of God’ meant good, fed me something and gave me no further counsel, no sound doctrine or use the Bible to back up what she told me.

Since then, I have learned that the crown I will one day receive will be cast at the feet of Christ and that I will eternally worship and say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” (Rev. 4:8) And I will also say, “Worthy are You Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” (Rev. 4:11)

This. Is. So. Much. BETTER.

We were created alone for His glory. For His exaltation. Alone for Him. Why? Because it pleased Him to create us. He’s AMAZING. Not only did He create us because He felt like it, He strategically created us with a longing that can alone be satisfied by Him. So to go back to the topic of not being enough. Yes, you and I are not enough. We were created to NEED something outside of ourselves and greater than ourselves. Had we been created perfectly whole and sinless there would not have been any need for Christ to hang on a tree on our behalf. God created us to be NEEDY! He created us intentionally this way. He made no mistake in doing this. He did this with great wisdom and fully knowing what He was doing. Making Himself the answer to our deepest longing, which is permanence and perfection. And those are found in His Being and no where else.

We can try ‘self-love’ all day long and cling to the arrogant lie that we are enough, but at the end of the day we will find that seeking to be self-fulfilled is an empty pursuit. And stamping the title of ‘Christian’ on our foreheads but not really relying on Christ to be our all in all will become tiring and will cause us to give up only to find that we might not have really been His all that time.

Be entirely His sister. Cling to Him to fulfill you and make you whole. Let Him chip away all of the things that He doesn’t like about you and let Him replace those things with His goodness. Let the fruit of the flesh die and the fruit of the Spirit live in you and through you. Cultivate what Christ has placed in you and don’t look back with longing at whatever He may take away for your good. He loves you too much to leave you the way He found you when He chose to rescue you. In Him is found abundant life, He is the way, the truth and the life and no one will come to the Father but through Christ.

I pray that this is encourages you to seek Christ deeper. Being needy does mean that we are weak and it does make us look incompetent and it does mean that we in ourselves are not enough. And that is a GOOD thing. God meant to do that. He meant to make us desperate for Him. And as our Loving Father, He rejoices in meeting us where we are and supplying what we are in need of.

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

I love you so much, Braulia.