A few weeks ago my oldest son, Quinton (16) preached to his peers at our church. I have an audio copy if you’d like to listen, but in the meantime… I stole his notes. He did this all on his own. #ProudMama here! 🙂

Why do we feel like we are not…

STRONG, SMART, TALL, PRETTY, ATHLETIC, CONFIDENT, KIND, LOVING, DECISIVE, SKINNY… enough.

What are some things that you feel are areas of your life that you are, “Not Enough?”

This list can go ON, and ON and ON… but I ask you again, WHY do we feel like this about ourselves?

Is there anyone who has ever felt like they have never been enough…

I certainly know I have struggled with thinking…

… enough…

For me the biggest one that I have struggled with is not being tall enough.

There have been parts during school where it felt like I was being picked on or made fun of EVERY SINGLE DAY because I was never “Tall Enough” for my age.

I’ve been bullied multiple times from people who look down upon me, simply because I am shorter than them. I remember coming home the one day in tears because I had been pushed into a locker, teased verbally and physically shoved just because I was not the average height of a boy my age.

There have been dozens of days where I have asked God, “WHY DID YOU MAKE ME SO SHORT?” “WHY AM I NOT TALL?” “WHY AM I NOT… ENOUGH?”

I think I play one of the worst sports for a person like me… Volleyball. Where if you’re not six foot tall, you can be cut from a team before you even try out. Sure I’m not six foot but where I lack in height, I make up for in skill, hard work and hops. See the thing is though, the world is like that, when you’re not enough they remind you of it constantly, trying to put you down! “Sure you’re smart but why are you so fat?”

Society is always trying to find that “BUT.” Reminding you of your flaws and exposing them trying to make you feel WEAK.

This is the world we live in. If you’re a woman and the world considers you “not enough” to be on the cover of a magazine, then the world tries to make you feel like you’re nothing special, a nobody.

Guys, when you don’t have the muscles of “The Rock” or the face of David Beckham then the world looks down upon you. While researching, I came across multiple articles where the titles were this; “8 Traits of a Perfect Women” – “10 Qualities that Define a Great Man” – “9 Ways to get a Sexy Face.”

What the heck?!?!?! 

Who decides “PERFECT?”

Who defines “GREAT?”

Who decides all of this???

This struggle has gone on since Creation… It all started with Adam and Eve in the Garden. They had literal paradise at their disposal, every living thing you could imagine, and they had control over it. It was the devil that made them feel like they didn’t have enough. After they sinned, what did they realize? In Gen. 3:7, they were suddenly aware they were naked… The whole idea of the word naked is that we are missing something, why do we feel that this is “not enough?” After Adam and Eve realized they were naked, they made coverings for themselves.  

We do the same thing where we put masks on trying to cover up the things about ourselves that we feel are not enough. This only separates us from the people who care and want to help. We feel if people saw underneath the mask, they wouldn’t like what they saw, and we are afraid people won’t like us if they saw who we truly are.

In Gen 3:8-11, God asks two questions:

First was, “Where are You?” Are you putting a mask on to cover up the real you, there needs to be those people in your life that know the REAL you, there needs to be those people in your life that accept you for you.

The second question God asks is, “Who told You?” This is so powerful because we can choose to let society, celebrities, the world tell us that we are NOT ENOUGH or we can let God tell us that we are HIS CHILDREN, HIS CREATION! Have you ever thought about this? When you think of yourself as “NOT ENOUGH” then are you saying that God’s creation isn’t enough.

When you change who you let tell you “who you are” than the glass looks a lot more than half full… 

THROUGH CHRIST I AM.

Who does God say you are?

These words come to mind…

• Confidant, 
• Wise, 
• Beautiful, 
• Strong, 
• Gracious, 
• Loving, 
• Kind, 
• Thoughtful, 
• Generous, 
• A Leader, 
• Loyal,
• Truthful, 
• SPECIAL, 
• Peaceful, 
• CONQUERORS, 
• Victorious 

Galatians 3:26 I am God’s Child
2 Corinthians 5:17 I am a whole new person with a whole new life
1 Corinthians 5:17 I am a place where God’s Spirit lives
Ephesians 2:10 I am God’s Incredible work of art
Ephesians 4:24 I am created in God’s likeness
Matthew 5:13 14 I am the Salt and Light of the world
Romans 5:8 I AM GREATLY LOVED
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me
1 Corinthians 1:2 I am a Saint
1 Corinthians 1:30 I am Wise, Righteous, Sanctified and Redeemed
2 Corinthians 2:14 I am Triumphant
Ephesians 1:43 I am blessed
Ephesians 3:12 I am Bold, Confidant
Philippians 3:20 I am a citizen of Heaven
Colossians 2:10 I have been made complete

– I AM HIS

– God does not look at your flaws and your failures!
First Samuel 16:7

– God looks at what is in your heart and if Christ is the centre of your thoughts, actions, your heart then “Who are you?”

Will you let the world and the devil tell you that you are not enough or will you let God tell you that you are HIS?