Actually, You Are Not Enough (And Never Will Be)

There's a lot of motivational, encouragement blogposts out there (and books. And songs. And sermons. And Hallmark cards. And Instagram reposts. And Pinterest quotes. And *enter anything flowery and admittedly well-intentioned in the blank*) that all say something along these lines: you are enough. You are beautiful. You are perfect. You are great just the way you are and God loves your beautiful mess. Look in the mirror and tell yourself this. Don't let yourself get down. You're amazing!

In a world full of bleakness and depression, I understand the heartfelt desire behind such encouragement to lift others up. However, such motivational, pithy statements are, at their core, faulty and miss their well-intended mark. How so? In an attempt to boost self-esteem (sometimes in ways no different than the world's attempts to boost self-esteem), it tells us a lie. It tells us we are just fine the way that we are. It tells us to turn inward for our encouragement. It tells us to look at ourselves to find happiness and to feel better. It tells us we are perfect as long as we feel that we are perfect.

Wrong.

We are wretched. We are failures. We are sinners. We are not only imperfect, we are utterly corrupt. Our good works are nothing more than filthy rags (I'm sure enough of us know the actual translation of those words, so I won't bother going further there). We do not deserve the very air we breathe. We deserve death and hell and eternal damnation.

Pause for a moment and consider the weight of that. The desperation of that. Take a deep breath.

Now. Enter Ephesians 2:4-7.

"But God, being rich in mercy because of the great love with which He has loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together in Christ––by grace you have been saved––and raised us up with Him and seated us in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ."

We are not perfect.

But God.

But Christ.

Christ is perfect. And He suffered through life and death in order to save us from sin, ourselves, and God's wrath. Do not find your identity in your own faulty, broken self. Do not find perfection there that is nonexistent. You will never be enough. Ever. Instead, find it in Christ and His lovingkindness. For He is enough, and more than enough.

If you read through the Bible, this is the pattern that its message gives: Christ came to save wretched sinners and make them holy in God's sight. It does not say "You are perfect." It says, "You are wretched, but thanks to the immeasurable grace of Christ, you are perfect through His sacrifice in the eyes of God."

I was talking with a good friend about Jonathan Edwards' famous sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." He said that the first time he read Edwards' sermon, he only saw the hellfire and condemnation. "I found it so harsh." But later, upon second thought, he said that he realized the sermon was actually pointing at God's incredible grace. Grace becomes so much more valuable when we realize our own depravity.

When you are sad and dissatisfied with yourself, do not turn to pretty, flowery sayings dressed up in aesthetics that will tell you that you are fine the way you are. Such motivation is fleeting. Turn to Him and find your strength in Him. For His grace is immeasurable.