To the Woman who Feels Like she is not Enough
by Jonni Nicole Parsons
Do you ever compare yourself to the women around you?
Do you ever feel envious of what you see?
Does your day feel like a never-ending scramble for perfection in which you never, ever succeed?
Answering “yes” to any of those questions is a dreadful place to be. It’s exhausting to feel like you’re not enough.
Am I Enough?
Somewhere along the line, you may have internalized a seemingly harmless message, possibly as a child, that “If you do well, then you are good.” But if you’ve believed in your core that you are valued primarily for what you do, you’ll always feel inadequate—because no one is adequate. That is why a Savior is required. As 1 John 1:8-10 says:
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us."
Being “enough” is an abstract idea that the enemy uses to mess with us. Friend, there will always be a part of you that falls short of perfection because guess what? You’re not perfect. That’s why Jesus came for you!
It’s a hard truth but the reality is: on our own we are NOT enough. Even when we were first created, we were made to rely on God for everything. And now we’ve added sin into the mix so we are truly incapable of doing anything well “enough” on our own.
This may make you cringe, but it’s a blessing. It’s freeing. We don’t have to try to be “enough” since God has already taken care of it. Perfection is His responsibility, not ours.
Jesus is Enough
Accepting grace leads to trusting and loving God by your actions, which is what being a Christian is all about. It is not necessary to be perfect as a Christian.
The truth is: our life doesn’t always look like our Instagram feed, yet God affirms that He still loves us. Just read the Bible. Jesus stretched out His arms to demonstrate His love for you.
The Cross is where you and I should’ve been because we aren’t good enough and should have paid for our own sin. But Jesus was good enough, and he paid for all our sins and shortfalls to make us ‘enough’ (1 Peter 3:18).
To the woman who feels she isn’t enough, hold on to these truths. . .
You’ve already been approved.
Jesus extended an invitation to you, and you accepted it. For all eternity, you are God’s property (Ephesians 1:13).
You’ve already proven yourself to be capable.
You were given Jesus Christ’s righteousness when you surrendered your life to Him. There’s nothing you can do to improve on that (Romans 3:22).
You have an infinite supply of grace and forgiveness.
When you fall short, God is always willing to forgive and show his undeserved favor to you. His feelings for you are unwavering (Hebrews 4:16).
He’s aware that you’re a human being.
God understands how you feel when you’re tired and overworked. He is well aware of your human limitations and does not ask anything more from you (Psalm 103:14).
Jesus desires for you to find rest in Him.
Instead of stressing about how you’ll get things done, Jesus urges you to give Him the burden. He’ll give you rest, and you may trust Him with the details of how and when (Matthew 11:28-30).
So, instead of letting the enemy’s accusation that “you aren’t enough” as a negative thing you need to defend yourself from, take it as a truth which leads you to the most positive thing of all: trusting in Jesus. Realize that Jesus Christ is totally out of your league but that he loves you and forgives you for all of your mistakes. Every one of them. In him and with him and only because of him, we are forever regarded as ‘enough’.
JONNI NICOLE PARSONS
Jonni Nicole Parsons is an author and founder of the digital marketing company Sunday Morning Marketing. Jonni and her husband make their home on the East Coast, where she can often be found hanging out with friends, drinking coffee, or reading a theology book. Her new book, Ignited, just released from Tyndale. Visit her online at jonninicole.com.
