Are we enough and prayer request?

Do you ever wonder if you are enough?

I am not a therapist. I am a counselor. Therapists have a license from the state to practice. I have the degree but not the license. I never did all the supervised hours to get the license. I am enough?

I have a MS, not a PhD. In my field of education, those with a doctorate are very respected. They have 1) Gained the basic overall knowledge of the bachelor’s degree. 2) Specialized in an area with a master’s degree. 3) Chosen a specific thing to study, studied it, hopefully added to the body of knowledge, and presented that knowledge for those getting bachelor’s and master’s degrees to learn.

I don’t have a PhD, am I enough?

I didn’t read enough in front of my kids as they grew up. I realize now that I often treated them as little adults instead of children who need to respect that authority is important and "because I’m the mom, that’s why" isn’t child abuse. We didn’t pray enough, read enough Scripture together, study for school enough, stick to hard stuff enough, and sacrifice for others enough.

I wasn’t a perfect mother. Am I enough?

Oh ya…I am not thin enough. Enough said on that.

One of the biggest lies that we take in is that we and our efforts are not enough. It is so discouraging. I think about the words discourage and encourage a lot: to take courage away or to give courage. It takes courage to get up each morning and try. It takes courage to keep trying when the results are miniscule or imperceptible, yet we still need to move forward.

As a believer in Christ Jesus, I believe that there is a very big picture on which to focus and not the pursuit of comfort and perfection that has taken over the earth. Eternity is assured and I am enough. Not because of my efforts and certainly not because I strive for perfection. Yuk. I work because my God is a wonderful boss and I WANT to honor and please him. He takes responsibility for the consequences from there.

I think this is what God means by, "lay down your burdens and take up mine." The burden of telling other people that they can have the same joy and freedom and rest that Jesus gives. I don’t do that as much as I could which means I don’t really love enough. However, the God of the Bible tells me, I am enough and I can keep trying. “Morning by morning new mercies I see!”

There is a person here at the Ark. She has literally raised dozens of children. Somehow little messages have gotten to her over the last few years that what she is doing here is not enough. Would you stop and pray with me for a minute, that these lies will be banished from her, right now! That she will be barraged with the grace that comes only from the Lord, wiping out those messages. Let God replace those messages with encouragement: the courage to keep going and keep trying 

and that

SHE IS ENOUGH!