Enough

I saw the wall art browsing through one of my favorite home décor stores.

You are more than enough.

A popular motivational quote. A culturally acceptable statement intended to lift others up when they’re feeling down.

I took a photo, and I made a few edits.

Because the truth is… you are not enough.

If this is the first time you’re hearing this, I’m sorry to burst your bubble. This may be a hard pill to swallow, so no rush… but keep reading.

But if you’re like me, you figured this out a long time ago, you’ve just been wresting with it the majority of your life.

We are not enough.

And yet we try. We put forth great amount of effort and thought and rock solid attempts all wondering why we still feel like we’re falling short. That even though everyone keeps saying “you’re enough,” we struggle to believe it. And that feeling, that void, is the very thing that helps us realize the truth that you and I, and no human who has been or is yet to be, will ever be enough.

If someone had actually figured it out by now, we’d know. They would have written a book and, no doubt, it would be an all time best seller. If there were secrets to being enough, they would have been shared and we’d all be good to go. No one would struggle with feeling insignificant, insecure, or incomplete. We’d have it all together, all the time, and we’d need no help, no saving, and no Savior.

“I am the true vine, my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful… remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” John 15:1-4

You are not the vine. You are not the giver and sustainer of life. You are not the one holding all things together. That job belongs to Jesus.

We are the branches, my friend. Our job is to remain attached to Him. And that relieves us of the great amount of responsibility we’ve placed on ourselves of being “enough.”

We were never designed to be enough. But we were designed to be dependently fruitful.

Apart from Jesus we can accomplish nothing. Sure, on paper or social media, we might look good. But any efforts apart from Christ are nothing but fruitless pursuits.

So instead of striving to be enough, let’s strive to be fruitful. A worthwhile pursuit we can actually achieve with the help of Christ.

And then let’s remain and rest and depend on Him, because He is more than enough.