You ever feel like there are times when you are truly not accepted for who you are? You are not smart enough, good looking enough, tough enough, man enough, woman enough, or even Christian enough. You feel the pressure to confirm to people’s idea or definition of what they think you should be. When you do not fit their profile, they think something is wrong with you or they treat you differently. Sometimes, we begin to feel the pressure by our friends, families and popular culture to fit in that we begin to confirm.
You are not enough of a man if you are not athletic, know the score to every football game, or sleeping around with a different woman each night. You are not man enough if you do not have four or five baby mammas or referring to women in derogative manners. You begin to think something is wrong with you and that you just do not measure up, because you are not fitting society’s definition of what a man should be. Sometimes you are called weak, or gay because you are not fitting the norm.
Women are not considered enough if they are not married at a certain age or have children by a certain age. They are called “old maids”, “lesbians” or “spinsters”. They are even told that is “biblical” and sinful to not be married. Women begin to feel the pressure of such foolishness that they settle for men who are abusive, unfaithful, and demeaning all to fit a norm.
There are times that you feel like your accomplishments are not enough because they are not what your friends or family deems as enough. You have dreams, goals, and aspirations that are just not realistic or practical. People don’t ask about what your aspirations are because in their eyes, it just is not something they would do, in other words it is just not enough.
In some Christian circles, you are not considered Christian enough if you are not falling out every Sunday, running up and down the aisles, saying every five minutes how much of a Christian you are. Some actually call you unsaved, unholy, and unrighteous. It is sad how people judge you and make you feel like you are just not enough, even in God’s eyes. We often forget that a lot of times your walk should be your witness. Unbelievers should see something in you that make you ask, “What is about you that is so different?” “How do I develop relationship with Christ?” So you begin to feel even ostracized in that aspect.
You have people who do everything for their families. They work hard for their kids, their parents, their siblings yet it is never, never enough. People begin to look at what you don’t do or focus on the one or two mistakes you made then what you do right. It is just not enough.
This week, I did not feel like I was enough. My accomplishments, my dreams, my life was just not enough for people. I knew that was the enemy trying to convince me of that. I know that I am enough. I like the person that I am and like me. Sometimes, I like the rest of us lose sight of that. We feel like we are just not enough to the people that matter to us. But God created all of us in his image. He thinks we are enough. You should feel like you are enough. Yes we all have things to improve on and there is growth we all need, but never feel like you are not enough. At the end of the day, you are enough.
“Because you were born…you are enough. You are worthy.” – Oprah Winfrey.
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