I Am [Not] Enough…But Jesus Is

Many of you may have seen or heard of a new saying floating around the Christian community that needs to be said with caution. This saying may be one that you’ve loved seeing, probably reposted, and may have said to someone else. However, it’s a combination of words that must be said carefully and in the right context before it becomes harmful to our walk with Christ. The saying is “I am enough.” Wait though! Before you click the exit button because you think that I’m being cynical, just read on to see why I’ve been nudged by the Holy Spirit to write this little post.

“I am enough” CAN be used in the right context

When I first heard “I am enough,” I heard it in the context that God has made us who we are, therefore we don’t have to try to be something we’re not. Which is true! Unless we’re trying to better ourselves for righteous, pure, and good reasons, we have no need to fretfully change who we are as a result of being discontent (something I know a little too much about).

Remember verse 30 in Proverbs 31? It says, “charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” We aren’t to place our full attention on things that are vain, like beauty, financial status, or the number of Instagram followers we have. I say full, because it’s not bad to want to look nice, to be wise in our finances, or to make an impact on this world. But so many times our unhappiness with how we look and feel cause us to take our attention off Christ and place it on things that have no eternal value. To recognize that we are enough, in this context, is to be content and happy with who God has created you to be.

“I am enough” started with “I am [not] enough”

I want you to take a step back for a moment though. I want you to think of the Gospel. I want you to think of the amazing work of Jesus Christ, the blood shed, the Lamb slaughtered, and the price paid. I want you to think of the stone rolled away, the empty place where Jesus once laid, and the joy that heaven and earth felt when the King of kings defeated death and atoned for our sins. What do you feel right now? Are you focused on trying to be content with who you are or are you standing in awe of what God has done?

Darling daughter of the Lamb, before Christ we were NOT enough. We were hell bound, separated from God, and drowning in our sin. But then Christ came along and HE made us righteous (“enough” if you will) in God’s eyes (Ephesians 2:1-10). We could never be enough without Christ.

Recognizing that you are enough in God’s eyes is a beautiful thing. But there is danger in saying “I am enough” over and over.. When said alone or when said out of context, it takes away from the power of the Gospel and it rises in us pride that we are all we ever need. 

Why do we need to be careful with “I am enough”?

At this point, you’re either on board with me or rolling your eyes and ready to exit out. But stick with me just a little longer. To those of us who see “I am enough” as a way to help from becoming discontent with how God has made us, the saying is harmless…uplifting even. But for those of us Christians struggling with pride or for those in the world who do not know Christ, we are harming who He is and what He has done.

Remember how you felt when you were thinking about the Gospel? Good. But now I want you to look at “I am enough” through the eyes of someone who has never heard of Jesus or has completely rejected Him. When they see “I am enough”, they see no need for Jesus. Why need saving when we are enough?

Or take a moment to think of the Christians who have been vulnerable about the pride in their heart or the Christians who are currently trying to hide it. Maybe it’s you. Maybe it’s your husband. Maybe it’s your mom. Or maybe it’s your roommate. “I am enough” can (I’m not saying that it always will), but can be a foothold used by our enemy to think that “I am enough, that I am not the problem, that I am just fine how I am, and that I don’t need changed in this area of my life.”

The “I am enough” mentality can cause us to believe that we have no issues in our heart that needs resolution, healing, or forgiveness. We must be careful to understand the balance between sanctification (the process of becoming more like Christ each day) and “I am enough.” We need Christ to save us from our sin AND daily transform us. Yet we also need to be content and enjoy the  person He has created us to be.

I am [not] enough…but Jesus is

Friends, with as much grace as I can say this, we need to be careful with this statement. We need to be showing those around us that we are not enough, but that Christ is. We should definitely seek to grow content in who God has made us, how He is molding us, the things that He has given us, and those He is surrounding us with. We should be declaring that we are enough because of Christ, not because of ourselves.

So I encourage you that, if you are going to use “I am enough,” use it entirely to point to Jesus and His Gospel. Use it to show that you were not enough, but Jesus is. Speak it to yourself or your friends in the context of growing content with what Christ has done in you and for you. Be careful of using it alone. Be aware of those around you that may take it out of context. We are Proverbs 31 women, fearing the Lord, being bold to those around us. And we don’t ever want to take the spotlight away from Christ and on ourselves.

Keep being bold my friends!