You Are Not Enough — But That’s Okay, Because Jesus Is.

The phrase, “You are enough” has become a big catch phrase that has blown up social media and Christian circles for the past year or so.

Honestly, I was kind of sold on the concept — that is, until I wasn’t.

Please don’t get me wrong. I don’t mean to attack all those good people out there trying to help, especially women, to accept themselves for who they are.

The problem is that, like many slogans, it all depends on what you mean.  Yes, God made us good.  Yes, He made us in His own image and likeness.

So, in that respect we are enough and are worthy of being loved just as we are.

But we also have inherited Original Sin, and with it a physical, emotional and spiritual brokenness that we just can’t run away from.

Perhaps that is why every time I have tried to say to myself, “you are enough” there is something that just doesn’t sit right with me.

Why does it bother me so?

I think it’s because there is something in me that yearns to be free of my sinfulness and struggles and to become that person that God has always meant me to be — but I know I’m not there, yet.

If we’re being absolutely honest, we have to admit that we just aren’t enough — but that’s okay, because, Jesus is! He is more than enough.

It’s okay to not be enough — I dare say it’s actually quite good to acknowledge that, because it reminds us that we need a Savior.

Do you know the story in Matthew 19, where Jesus talks about it being easer for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than the rich man to enter into Heaven.

At first glance, you might think “Stinks for the rich guy.  Good thing I’m not rich”.  But then, you look at the apostles — who objectively speaking were not rich — but they replied, “Then Lord who can be saved?”. 

Clearly being rich must not have meant only having a lot of money.  Clearly in some way, we are all that rich man.  We all have our attachments and things we aren’t wiling to let go of.

But the hope lies in Jesus’ words to the apostles, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”.

If I’m being frank with you, the problem with that phrase, “you are enough” is that something inside of me knows that I am meant to be so much more than this flawed individual who is standing before you now.

The thing is, you and I were meant to be saints — and I don’t know about you, but I’m not there yet.

Left to my own resources, that person I know I was meant to be seems an impossible reality.  But just a humble acknowledgment that I can’t do it alone — that I need God — and suddenly the impossible becomes possible.

If we make it to Heaven, we will finally become that person we were meant to be from the beginning of time — that unique saint, like no other.

Till then, we just need to keep trying our lousy best and approach all of our “not enough ness” with grace and mercy — and hope in the One Who Is Enough.

The truth is, there is no such thing as a self-made man or woman and the sooner we recognize that we depend on God to become the best version of ourselves, the better.

Can we just talk about how desperately we need Jesus for a minute?  We need Him — like really, really need Him.

If we are being honest with ourselves, we have to admit that we are going to make a royal mess of things the second we try to leave God out of our plans.  A Royal Mess, people.

We are not enough, but God is.  He is there to meet our weakness and our sinfulness and be the bridge we need to reach eternal life and perfect love.

Knowing that my holiness, my perfection, doesn’t depend solely upon me — that the God of the Universe actually cares for me and is waiting for me to say “yes” to His help — now that is some good news.

And here is some even better news, God has given us food to strengthen us in our weakness and perfect us in our love.

Jesus wants to be our food.  He wants to feed us so we are strong enough to face the battle.  He wants to be our “enough” when our human strength fails.

Of course, that food of which I speak is the Eucharist.  Catholics believe the Mass is the highest from of prayer. We believe a worthy reception of the Eucharist is the most effective tool in becoming more like God — of becoming a saint.

I guess you could say the Mass is a pretty big deal — and, yes, that’s a pretty big understatement!

Receiving Jesus in the Eucharist will slowly transform your heart, over time, into the heart of Jesus.  You will learn to love like He loves and live like He Lives — as long as you don’t put any major stumbling blocks in His way.

Confession, by the way, is about removing those stumbling blocks in our hearts and repairing the damage that has been done by them — so if you’re a baptized Catholic, go to Confession as often as you can.

Just go, go, go.

It must also be said that sometimes non-Catholics feel offended that we ask them not to receive Jesus.  I get why this might seem offensive, but believe me we are saying it because we love you.

St. Paul warned that those “that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.” (I Cor. 11:29)

As people who take the Bible seriously, that is the same reason why we don’t believe in receiving Jesus in mortal sin — it would be eating and drinking damnation upon ourselves.  Yikes!

So, yes, there are times when receiving Jesus is not a good idea.

I know it could be an awkward thing to not receive Jesus at Mass, but sometimes we just have to man up — or woman up –and do the right thing despite what everybody else might be thinking about us.

Don’t forget there are beautiful prayers of spiritual communion, which Catholics and non-Catholics can say if they are at a Mass and can not receive Jesus in the Eucharist.

So don’t miss out on a beautiful way to stay close to Jesus if you can’t receive Him or are unable to make it to Mass.

Truly, the Mass is the gateway of Heaven and it just might offer us a glimpse of the amazing man or woman that we will one day be.

Till then, we have to deal with all of our faults and quirks and shortcomings. Let’s be grateful for them because they help us to avoid the pitfall of pride — which is the greatest sin and leads to all others.

Accepting our “not enough” is a humble path that will lead us to greater dependence on God and ultimately a more beautiful union with Him.

So let’s embrace our “not enough”.

Let’s accept that we aren’t fully the people we are meant to be right now — but with the hope that if we keep following Jesus and loving Jesus we will one day be way more than enough — we will be downright amazing!

 

 

Sharing over at Kelly’s