Known: I Am Enough

We carry far too many labels. We identify ourselves by our physical characteristics and our abilities. We carry the label of our past and present mistakes, hurtful words spoken over us, and failed expectations. Our life history can burden us with hurts from a painful family background and bullying. Those that we trust and respect can obliterate our confidence in minutes with words and actions that never seem to leave us. It can leave us feeling like we can't measure up to the right standard-that we will never be good enough. This is the ultimate label of discouragement and hopelessness.

It takes a certain point of confident maturity to cast aside these ill-fitting labels and grasp who we really are. It's a crisis of identity that prevents us from forging ahead and fulfilling the purpose that God has given us. This is an important step in our own faith development when we can confidently say, "I am enough." It is a statement that affirms who God intends us to be while casting aside the lies and mislabeling that derail us from the right path.

Picking Through

When I was much younger my grandparents would often take us to a discount store called Pick-N-Save. They had a buffet we loved to eat at and ridiculous bargains on clothes and many other items. The deals were there and you just had to choose what it was you wanted to buy. You didn't have to take everything in the store--that's why it was called "Pick-N-Save"--the choices were yours to make.

Unfortunately, we take that same approach to our Christianity even though God doesn't operate that way. We can't go to Him and ask for an increase in patience, but ask for Him to leave us alone in the humility department. He won't dish out extra portions of love while leaving holiness on the shelf for someone else. God isn't a discount store with bargains for you and I to pick over. He offers all of who He is as a reflection of the gift of His grace. He gives us all that we need in one package-His Son, Jesus Christ.

To truly accept the gift God has for us we should stop trying to sift through and only take what we think we want, and instead graciously take the gift that offers everything we need. It's an all-or-none principle that might seem restrictive, but is really the best thing for us.