You Are Enough!
- We are a generation of women who have never worked harder to have it all, yet go to bed most nights worrying that we aren’t enough.
- We are constantly asking “Why?”
- We are constantly measuring. It doesn’t matter if you’re single, if you’re married, if you’re rich, poor, old, young, in college, or out of college.
- We are always looking around to see how we measure up to everyone around us and usually focusing on all the ways we fall short. And when you look all around except to God, you will always fall short.
It can seem like the world is full of messages telling you that you are not good enough, smart enough, spiritual enough…or even that you are too much. It’s too easy to let these pull you down and suck the joy out of your day.
I believe our struggle with wondering if we are enough goes back primarily to how much we trust God. We aren’t struggling because of the specifics of our circumstances as much as we are struggling because we fail to trust God to give us what we need, to show us where we are supposed to go and what we are supposed to do. – Ouch— 😬
Believe me, this message is for me too. I mentor different age groups of women, and I have found the universal theme between all of my mentees is that internal self-doubting voice……
All of my mentees including myself have that internal voice that whispers telling us that we will never be good enough, we should have been a lot further in life by now, I should had this by 30 or 40 or 50, etc. And those personal statements have often led to anxiety, stress, depression, obsessive behaviors and even some other physical symptoms.
Recently one of my mentees and I were discussing her goals of increasing her volunteerism and setting up large program, which I told her that was great but what about the now? I asked her what she could do small scale that aligned with her purpose that would still be a step towards her goal. She felt she needed to have completed staff work instantly, with the funding, vision statement, everything as she felt like she was inadequate. Like I have said before, they didn’t build Rome over night, but they started with one brick by brick. A lot of sweat, patience, perseverance, tenacity, commitment and focus.
Leaning on society’s standards of when you should have kids, get married, buy a house, etc. can be self-damaging. But As women, we have to start encouraging ourselves and put things back into perspective. As the singer Donald Lawrence and the Tri-City Singers sang so eloquently, sometimes you have to speak a word over yourself, Sometimes you have to speak victory during the test. And no matter how you feel, speak the word and you will be healed; speak over yourself, encourage yourself in the Lord
7 Ways Shift Your Mindset and To Embrace Your Awesomeness
- God says You’re Enough Because HE is! You are enough, because you were made in the image of God and carry His likeness in You!– Philippians 1:6, CSB: “I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
- Stop comparing your growth or purpose against someone’s outer shell.
- That is never a fair assessment, and just because the outside of the refrigerator is clean doesn’t mean the side does not have rotten milk, moldy food and expired yogurt. – Psalm 139:14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
- Learn How to Silence the Inner Voice with the Word of God & Prayer. Romans 8: 1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, whether you accept this or not, thoughts have a lot of power.
- Take time to Enjoy the Scenic Route- Or in Other Words Breathe. Breathing intervenes in negative thinking. More so, it releases unnecessary tension that is stiffening your body and causing aches and maybe even physical pain. Diaphragmatic breathing slows your heart rate, eases anxiety, and slows the pace of your mind. – 2 Corinthians 9: 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
- Include God in Everything. God wants to abide with you every day, all throughout the day. He doesn’t just want you to seek Him when you go to church or when you’re desperate. His desire is to have a personal relationship with you, so you can experience His presence in everything you do- Proverbs 3: 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
- Response to Life Not React. What I’m talking about is ensuring your thoughts are in the right place, in wise mind. Wise mind means you are mentally and emotionally neutral, balanced and mindfully navigating though situations in life. You’re not acting out, acting impulsively or making decisions on the fly. You’re calm, thinking thoroughly through things, and checking yourself before wrecking yourself. James 1:19 instructs us to be quick to listen and slow to speak and become angry because there is power in our words and anger doesn’t produce righteousness.
- Unplug. This daily discipline keeps my mind engaged, enriched, moving slower, and calm. Philippians 4: 7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Motivational Point: God Says You Are Enough Because I Am
Did you know that “I am” appears in the Bible 719 times. 508 times in the Old Testament and 211 times in the New Testament. God was reminding WHO He Was and of His Unlimited Power. If you’re a child of God, you have the same authoritative power to speak life and profess things in Jesus Name. So allow me to encourage you to be brave and speak the following I AM statements:
- I am fearfully and wonderfully made
- I am significant
- I am smart
- I am valuable
- I have value
- I am worthy of love
- I am courageous
- I am talented and intelligent
- I am becoming more confident every day
- I am proud of myself
- I am a child of God……as a Christ follower or believer, you authority granted by the Holy Spirit and power to make those proclamations. I want you to start with positive affirmations every day.
Philippians 1:6, CSB: “I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”