Not Good Enough

 There are multitudes of people who do not feel like they are good enough. They don't feel like they measure up to others. They feel inferior. People who try hard but do not succeed. People who love so much but receive so little love in return. People who are different than others and feel the pressure to not be who God made them to be. 

This happens with personal appearance. Many are not one of the beautiful people. Not slim, not tan, not handsome, nor beautiful. Some people are homely looking. They will go to extremes to try to change their appearance for acceptance. They try fad diets, workout equipment, cosmetics, cosmetic surgeries, and even weight loss surgeries all in hope of feeling like they are good enough to fit in. Even when the body changes the psyche sometimes does not. Some people do not feel they are good enough in physical appearance.

Other people are not as intelligent as peers. They struggle to grasp complex concepts. They make poor grades in school while others seem to breeze through their course work effortlessly. The smart people get accolades while the less academic performers get overlooked and eventually by passed for the best paying jobs. 

Some people try hard but do not succeed. They may make the team but seldom play and do not excel as an athlete. The lack of success can weigh heavily on the mind. Such people feel like losers in athletics and losers in life. They try. They work harder than others around them to no avail. They are told over and over again they are not good enough. Their performance does not meet expectations. They are lacking. Sometimes this pattern follows them into the work force. They may live their whole lives feeling like a failure and a loser. They get passed up for promotions in favor of people who seem to have the golden touch. 

Maybe a person's personality is different and puts them at odds with the majority of society. Perhaps they are socially awkward, too intense, too weird, too quiet, too shy, too loud, or a dozen other things. They do not fit in. They are always on the outside looking in. People may never mouth the words but their actions shout, "You are not good enough!"

Have you ever felt any of that? I am betting several have. You know the sting of being told over and over again you are not good enough. You carry deep wounds from feeling you will never meet the expectations of those around you. You live under the cloud of not measuring up. The humiliation of repeated failures haunts you. 

I just want to remind you that in Jesus, you more than measure up. He loves you. He accepts you, embraces you, and desires a close relationship with you. He celebrates you because He created you. He knows you better than you know yourself. While all people have a sin nature, He is willing to forgive. Ready to redeem. Faithful to forgive. 

He also created you with purpose. Intelligent design. The day He made you is the day He blessed planet earth with you. Nobody is like you. You are His one of a kind masterpiece. You are uniquely designed with wonderful skilled craftsmanship. You don't believe me? Read Ps 139:14-18. Go ahead and open your Bible and let your eyes rest on Ephesians 2:10. Interpret those verses for yourself. Apply the truths to your own heart and mind. In essence you can hear the message echoing all the way from Heaven, "I love you. You have infinite worth to Me. I designed you. I carefully crafted your personality, passions and person. I created you to love and to glorify Me. Through the shed blood of Jesus, you measure up. You are more than good enough. Never forget that. You are good enough for Me. Because of that you are good enough for anyone. Live in the freedom of who I created you to be."