You Are Enough

 

Our worth is determined by what we bring to the table. At least, that’s what society says.

It wasn’t her words that bothered me but her actions. My head hung in shame and shock as my mom ran to embrace my best friend. The crumpled metal heap that used to be our minivan lay a few feet away, and I glanced at it, wondering if she was thankful I was alive. How had a quick trip to the grocery store on our girls’ night ended in such misery?

As I stood there alone on the side of the dark road, wet hair plastered to my head, fat tears slid down my cheeks. Even the first responders ignored me. What was so wrong with me that no one cared about my well-being? I wondered. A tiny voice inside my head whispered how dumb I was. How if I’d been smarter and paid more attention, I would’ve noticed the oncoming vehicle through the rivulets of rain falling fast against the window. If I’d been important enough, my mom would’ve run to me first, reassuring me that I was safe and loved.

But she didn’t because I wasn’t enough. Not smart enough to protect her van from a wreck. Not important enough to warrant her first concern and love. At least, that’s what I believed.

Have you ever felt like you’re not enough? Like no matter what the criteria is, you can’t compare? Maybe you’ve let old words or actions hurt you, too, and you’ve shut the door to your bruised and broken heart. Maybe you, too, have believed the lie that you aren’t enough.

Friend, don’t fall for the same lies I believed for far too long. I allowed myself to believe that my mom’s reaction to a car accident defined my worth. Because she didn’t run to me first, I felt unloved and worthless, and I let that shape my identity for years.

A hunger for worth, for a place at the table of Christ, drove me back to the beginning, to Genesis, and the message I found encouraged me: you are enough.

You are enough.

It’s not a message we hear often. Instead, we hear the opposite. We need to prove we’re worthy of a place at the table. Regardless of how hard we try, we aren’t smart enough, wealthy enough, pretty enough, or important enough.

God says differently. He chose to create us in his image, making us valuable in his eyes (Gen. 1:26-27). Not once did God eyeball his original creation and say, “Nope, I don’t like that big nose, so I’ll change it,” or “Eh, she’s going to need a little more beauty to compensate for the lack of brains.”

Not so, my friend. He created us in his own image, and then he saw everything he’d created, including man and woman, and said it was very good (Gen. 1:31). Not just good, very good. I don’t know about you, but I desperately need the reminder that I’m enough simply because I’m created in God’s own image. That I’m worthy of a place at the table.

Let’s stop criticizing ourselves, falsely believing we aren’t enough, because God says we are enough.

The next time you feel less than worthy, less than valued, remember this: when we abide in Christ, depending on him for our strength, we can’t help but know we are enough.

 

Amanda Wells is the proud wife of a smokin’ hot third generation farmer, and they have taken Psalm 127:5 literally, raising their quiverful of six kids on the farm. She loves baking, reading, writing, and arithmetic (kidding!). Amanda writes about faith, homeschooling on the farm, and family life at farmwyfe.com.

Today we’re giving away a copy of Pressing Pause: 100 Quiet Moments for Moms to Meet with Jesus by Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk.  To enter the giveaway, sign up for our new monthly newsletter (in the sidebar on the righthand side of the site), and a special note from The Glorious Table staff delivered to your inbox with extra encouragement and ideas for making your life more glorious, plus a free monthly printable. The winner will be announced here tomorrow.

Aaaaand (drumroll, please)…the winner of yesterday’s giveaway, a So Sarah Designs “Be Kind” mini bunting, is MBarba! We’re so excited for you! Please email [email protected] with your mailing address, and we will get your gift in the mail!

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