3by7faith

You are not enough, and that’s great!

When I look towards the rest of my life, what everyone says I must achieve, I’m overwhelmed. My imagination flashes through the years ahead and I see hundreds of months, thousands of days, and millions of minutes. All in which I must accomplish a billion tasks. I must graduate, find a job, make lots of money, pay off debt, purchase a car, get married, buy a house, have children, build wealth, care for my parents, and send my kids to college. I feel that I must achieve all the world wants me to on my own. I feel that I am not enough and I will never fulfill my purpose.

However, when I look ahead at the rest of my life, what God has called me to do, I’m excited. I see a mission bigger than I could imagine. The difference is, I know that I cannot achieve all God wants me to do without Him. I know that I am not enough without Him, and that’s great! That is exactly what is required of me to live out His purpose in my life.

To walk with the Lord is to walk with him daily. Lamentations 3:23 shows us that God’s mercies are new every morning! Even Jesus would teach His disciples to pray, asking God to “give us this day our daily bread.” It may sound mature and spiritual to say you are “dependent” on God, but the truth is that means we must seek His face and provision daily. We must be comfortable with being uncomfortable, not knowing what our future looks like, and maybe not even knowing what tomorrow looks like!

This might actually be wonderful news for some people. For my type A personality, though, this is a hard reality to face. However, there is a beautiful freedom that comes in saying “God, I give you the future and my life, show me today who you want me to be, what you’d like me to do, and who I can serve.” Contrary to popular belief, we are not enough. This is a good thing. We must acknowledge that we need God desperately and daily. His power is made perfect in our weakness!

In Philippians, Paul writes “I am certain that God, who began the good work in you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Your purpose will not be completed in a day, but rather on a specific day when the Lord tells you “well done, good and faithful servant.”

I know that whatever God has planned for me I cannot accomplish right now. However, I can live for Him today, I can grow with Him this week, I can become more like Him this month. The days of my life, both boring and exciting alike, will add up to reveal the beautiful purpose God has for me.

So, if you find yourself overwhelmed with the thought of the future, or even bored in your current situation, remember that Jesus lived the first quiet 30 years of his life in obedience to God. Through the mundane and ordinary years, God prepared Jesus daily to complete His ultimate plan and purpose, not just for Jesus, but for all of humanity.

If you can’t figure out what you’re supposed to do, seek God because you need Him desperately, and you are not enough without Him. 

A final thought: Quit trying to cross the finish line before you’ve even run a mile! Open your Bible. Pray without ceasing. Serve your neighbor. Tell someone the good news of Jesus. The future will follow.

Lord, thank You for Your son and ultimate sacrifice on the cross. Thank You that I don’t need to live my entire life today, but rather trust in Your sovereign hand. I give You my future. I need You, God, for apart from You, I can do nothing. I pray You lead me daily—to those I can serve, to what I can do for Your kingdom, but most importantly, closer to You.

In Jesus’ name, Amen!