Children

Children believe they can do anything.

Children believe that they can be the next to disturb the moon's dust, they believe they can cure cancer, and that if they jump off of the roof with a cape--they will fly.

Children sing, dance, create, trust, love, and live with glorious reckless abandon.

Children are not born believing they are not enough, they are born full of courage, passion, and life, then life happens. Lies are whispered by words and actions, the people who were suppose to protect and love, destroy and neglect, and cracks are sent fracturing what they believe about themselves and the world.

Love twisted. Truth perverted. Innocent tainted.

Suddenly it's dangerous to trust, monsters live in the closet, and love means something that it was never intended to. Suddenly in a moment, they are handed the lie that who they are is not enough and swallow it whole.

That lie becomes the drum beat to which they begin to march, it becomes the anthem that is sung in the moments of loneliness, and the veil through which the world is seen.

Not good enough.
Not smart enough.
Not pretty enough.
Not talented enough.
Never ever enough.

Nothing you do will add up to anything, for who you are is not enough.

If the enemy can convince us that we are incapable of fighting, we give up. So the demons scream, fires of doubt and fear are fed with lie after lie, our imagination and vision are corrupted, shackles are clamped, chains are wrought, and we are crippled as our hope of a rescue is shattered.

I beseech you, don't believe lies, for grace and love win and a rescue has come.

Truth: we are enough; for we are loved.

You and I were created and breathed and loved--and we are enough.

Hand your list of failures, foibles, fears, despairs, mess, and dark secrets to the One you believe would never love you, with a trembling hand drop all that you believe disqualifies you and watch as He tosses the list in a holy fire that burns away lies to reveal what is good and true.

Your list has disappeared and in it's place in dark, bold words have been written. "Dearly loved, always enough."

Fear

Unfortunately in the past there have been times when the fear of not being "good enough" at something has kept me from doing anything. The idea implanted in my head was that I must be perfect at what I do, lest the world and God himself turn away in disgust, indignantly questioning why I attempt to do such preposterous things.

The implanted thought took root and fed on all of my fears. Roots sunk deep into the crevices of my heart and soul, paralyzingly me. Fears of disappointing people. Fears of failure. Fears that everyone will actually begin to believe I am certifiably crazy.

Pride is so much easier to feed than humility.

I forget about grace. I forget about weaknesses being strengths and strengths being weaknesses. I forget about Moses telling God that He had chosen the wrong man. I forget about the fact it is not and has never been about me.

I don't need so much to be taught as I need to be reminded.

Reminded that most of the God uses my imperfections and failings, that He uses all of me even the brokenness...dare I say especially the brokenness.

I may say the wrong thing, I may do the wrong thing, I may stumble over words, my grammar and typos may be scattered liberally through-out everything I write. It may be horrible writing-but it can still be used. Two small copper coins were not too insignificant to go unnoticed, so maybe you and I aren't either.

Maybe redemption is really too good not to be true.

Thank you all for reminding me.