I don’t know who needs to hear this today, but YOU ARE ENOUGH. Let that sink deeply into your heart, and believe it.
The world is ripe with messages to the contrary. People may not approve of your political or religious beliefs. They may not like you, because of the color of your skin, or the country of your birth. Some will tell you that your sexual orientation or gender makes you less worthy. The negative voices are so loud. You aren’t rich enough, tall enough, young enough or pretty enough. You have too many kids, or too few. You are wrong because you are married, or because you are single. The stay at home moms and the working moms both come under fire. You simply aren’t as cool as the next guy, because he has trendier clothes or a faster car. Your job is stupid. You are fat and dumb. You are nothing. You don’t measure up. The chorus chants on, but you have the power to simply stop listening to it. Because, the truth is it isn’t real. Most of the time when people are shouting about you, they are revealing insecurities they have about themselves.
Chasing after approval from others is a bit like trying to catch a wave as it breaks along the shore. You might get your hands wet, but it will always elude you. There is also the reality that we won’t always win every race, and at times we will indeed fall short. Failure is a universal part of the human experience that no one avoids entirely. We have weaknesses. We mess up, and make mistakes. Not every hour is our finest one, and sometimes we have good reason to tell someone we are sorry. At these moments internal embarrassment and shame are added to the external negative criticisms, and we can begin to believe they equal who we are and what we are worth. As if our imperfections somehow define our intrinsic value. Hear this now - they don’t.
Knowing you are enough doesn’t mean you arrogantly think you’re perfect, or should stop trying to better yourself. We all have many things to learn, and ways we can continue to grow and evolve. Life would be very boring if we had it all, knew it all and had accomplished it all already. Striving is part of what makes us feel alive. Challenge is engaging, and overcoming is exhilarating. Knowing you’re enough means that when you fall down it isn’t a fatal blow to your heart and spirit. It is understanding that you are allowed to stand back up and start again, as many times it takes.
It is knowing that even when not everyone loves you, that you are still lovable. Believing that you deserve to be treated with kindness and dignity. Knowing that you matter as much as anyone else. Why? Because you are a person. You breathe, you feel, you bleed, you laugh and you cry. You are a child of God. There has never been another human exactly like you, and there never will be again. Not only are you allowed to look, think and feel in your own individual way, it’s actually imperative that you do. So that your unique gifts, talents and heart can be made manifest in this world to bless others. The cosmic puzzle wouldn’t fit together correctly if the pieces were all the same. You are enough to deserve to offer and receive love. You are enough to boldly laugh and sing out loud and clear. To try and try again. To dance and twirl. To dream big dreams. To simply be yourself. Don’t ever let anyone or anything steal your spark, drain the light from your eyes, and make you feel small.
You are enough.
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