The Thief Called “Not Enough”

I’m currently writing a book about living powerfully purposeful lives not because of what we do but who we are and who we reflect.

It’s a book about not striving, not comparing, not trying to measure our worth by the world’s standards.  So freeing.

Ha.  Don’t go writing God books unless you plan to let God write a thing or two in your life in the process.

See, the tricky thing about writing a book is that you’re supposed to market it.  You’re supposed to try to convince a real-time publisher to look your way which, in today’s world, often requires accumulating thousands of followers on social media, beefing up your list of email subscribers, or already being famous.

So…let’s see…um…unless you want to play super fast and loose with the word “famous”, I got nothing.  Not a great checklist for me.

And I’ve wrestled lately with how far my reality lies from that ideal platform I’d love to achieve.

I have my precious and faithful readers online and I’m so grateful to you all.  Seriously- your encouragement and your presence here has been amazing to me.

But don’t we all have those gaps in our lives that make us wonder if we’re really enough? If we really matter?  Whether it’s a lack of facebook followers, job title, education, recognition or apparent influence…don’t we sometimes feel like we’re always missing “enough”?

Going into January I had all the intentions of getting my ducks launched, my email subscription started, and baiting people to start following my blog with the virtual candy of choice: a free download.  (Which may come one day- I’m not knocking the idea.)

But January brought a slightly different perspective (and also a stomach bug, but that’s hardly the point).  Here I am literally writing the book on being completely content in my identity in God and serving people instead of striving.  And I’m struggling with those two things.  OK God.  I’m listening.

And I really believe that one of the greatest thieves of our joy, of our hope, of our contentment…is the thief of “not enough”.  The brutal lie that who we are today isn’t as significant as who we’ll be tomorrow.

Because tomorrow surely we’ll have accumulated those online followers.  We’ll have mastered that diet plan.  We’ll have proven to our boss that we have what it takes.  We’ll have managed to stop yelling at our kids, because we will have figured out how to turn them into tiny angelic robots.  Someone will finally give us the chance to really shine.  Tomorrow.  Yes, tomorrow we might be worth something.

Only it’s not true…at least not the way we think.  The fundamental premise of my book is that you and I are absolutely valuable TODAY.  No strings attached.  Nothing we’ve done (wrong or right) in the past or will do in the future changes that incredible reality.

You are worth so much more as is than you could dream.  You were designed in the image of your Creator.  You were given life as a co-creator, free to breathe life back into the world around you.  You are loved to the point of death and back.

I know this concept seems small and redundant, but if we were to actually embrace this idea in our lives it would change everything.  No more need to measure our worth by looking around us, no more thinking we’d be loveable if we could only get our act together.  No more pressing the reset button on or lives every New Year in a quest to finally be that person we thought was worth something.

Because we already are that person…worthy.

You are.  I am. Barefoot and empty.  Come as you are.  Nothing could be more freeing.

And aside from the sheer joy of knowing that worth, there’s a secondary freedom between the lines: we can choose to serve others instead of striving.  We don’t have to earn our worth, so we can simply live our lives out of the overflow of our worth.  We can lift others up and bring freedom to those who don’t yet see their dignity, beauty, and value.  How amazing is that?

So this year I’m still going to write and speak for all I’m worth. I can’t really help it, it’s what I’m made for.

But this year I don’t want my online pursuits to overshadow my offline endeavors.  I don’t want to prop up my virtual community at the expense of my flesh and blood friendships.  I don’t want to chase facebook influence over motherhood influence.  Whether online or off, I want to see souls and stories, not numbers.

I want goals to be tools that stretch me to defy stagnant and comfortable, not measuring sticks of my worth.  I want to believe with all my being that the weight of a moment flows not from productivity (or success, or bank account numbers) but from love.

Yes.  There it is.  I’d rather be known offline for my reflection of God’s love, than online as the girl with a million followers.

And I’d rather simply know and be known by God than chase anything else.  Because right there in His arms I find that I really am simply enough…and I can barely breathe that much peace in.

So what do you think it would take to make you worth something?  Would you dare to believe that you are already worth more than you believe?  When you trade in the thief of not enough for the Giver of worth, you’ll find yourself loved exactly where you are…simply as is.

John 10:9-11 (NIV)

9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

2 Timothy 1:9

He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

1 John 3:1

3 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.