Do you ever get the feeling that you’re not doing ‘enough’… that you could be doing ‘more’ or ‘different’ – maybe you should be doing something else – or that you could be doing a ‘better’ job? Part of the problem is that all the ‘ ‘ are rarely defined and even more rarely operationalized. Do you ever wonder if you’re running your race? Do you ever feel you’re not enough. Sobering thoughts. Frustrating thinking. Doesn’t stop us from asking ourselves these questions though… does it? Do we ever stop and ask the Lord if we are abiding in Him, if we are doing what He wants for and from us? Probably just as rare.
If you do that kind of self analysis, that’s not unusual. I think we all feel that we fall short of the mark. that there’s always more that we can/should do or do better. The problem is when we allow that to cripple us into not doing anything… or perhaps worse. If we allow those feelings to dictate who we are what we do how we do it then truly we aren’t enough (undefined).
Who’s asking these questions? You? The Lord? Your enemy? I think the thing that we need to realize is the Lord expects us to do the very best that we can be, but He doesn’t expect us to go beyond what we know. what we know we can do. And at the same time He never limits us and He’s always with us so the ultimate decision is what we do with all that so that we are enough.
The problem is The (OUR) feelings. How do we deal with them? We can’t shove them down, we can’t dismiss the feelings, we can’t ignore them. But how do we get beyond? In a way each of us has to resolve this for ourselves and we need to resolve it in a proactive way not in a ‘give up give in’ mentality. Remember scripture at a time like this: we are more than conquerors, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, know that there is NO temptation that the Lord doesn’t know about and will help us find a way through. Actually, we need to rest and stand in, John 15:4-11:
“Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me.” [v. 4]
“… I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.” [v. 5]
Do you see and understand those 2 verses? They really do provide the context for our answer to the question. We can speak from confidence when we know not only who we are, whose we are, but where we are! There are also promises – we can’t bear fruit without being in union/relationship with the Lord, but those who do abide/remain……. bear much fruit.
We can never get beyond the (seemingly unending) limitations… we can never become all we can be if all we do is focus on what we’re not doing. The Lord didn’t create us as quitters as people who give in, who are ill or non-equipped The point is we need to become who we have been destined to be we need to run our race, to bear fruit. And… we CAN.
If you can look yourself in the eye and say with all the understanding you possess that you are doing what you think you should be doing, doing what’s at your hand, and doing everything to the best of your ability – then tell the deceiver he has no place in you and you won’t believe his lies You are enough!
