Good News: You Are NOT Enough (But You Are Valuable!) (Part 1) (#54)

Leave a comment February 14, 2026 Tracy

It’s popular these days to see signs or memes declaring “You are enough.” Social media is filled with self-esteem pushers using this mantra to build people up in their flesh. But here is the naked truth, and deep down you know it…on your own you aren’t enough. And you and I are never going to be.

If we really believed we were enough, we certainly wouldn’t need a sign on our desk or a bookmarked meme to remind us.

At some point in our lives it seems we all have bought into the powerful lie that we are supposed to be enough. Most people spend decades trying to defeat this dragon, but have never stopped to ask from where – or from whom – this burden originates? Let me ask this question another way: who told you that you needed to be enough…and how would we define good enough anyway?

From birth it’s clear that we are utterly dependent on other people and incapable of meeting even our own basic needs. We are born without skill or the ability to perform any useful tasks. And, as long as we have some competent adult caregiver, we are fine with that truth just being the truth. As we grow and mature, we learn new skills, our cognitive function develops, and our bodies grow. We recognize that development takes time, skills take practice, and we aren’t perfect. This is neither good nor bad this is just the truth. And this truth is intended to draw us closer to God and other people, as we live interdependently on one another.

Yet the enemy of our souls has other plans. He watches for the earliest opportunity to twist our developmental mishaps and people’s words about them into shame-laden wounds. Wounds which turn us away from God and other people. Wounds which burden us with shame and condemnation.

Healing these wounds is possible, but it starts with recognition of the lie.

Satan uses this lie – that we are supposed to be enough but aren’t – to entice us into various forms of self-destruction that at best take decades to break. For some the cycle is one of numbing and self-abusing through substances (e.g. alcohol, drugs, caffeine, food). For some the cycle is flesh-feeding distractions and adrenaline-seeking entertainment (e.g. pornography, excessive video gaming, compulsive exercise). For some it is the constant, nagging drive to do more and push harder in an effort to validate one’s value and prove the devil wrong (e.g. excessive Type-A behavior, workaholism, perfectionism). Perhaps other forms of self-abuse come to mind.

There is something innate in us that knows we are fallible, imperfect creatures yet we somehow think we need to hide the reality of our humanity. Perhaps we believe we are the only imperfect humans (social media certainly doesn’t help with this). We insist on trying to hide our humanity in hopes that others don’t notice. I think the following are the most likely reasons:

Pride – We don’t want to humble ourselves before God.
Fear of Rejection – If God or the people in our lives found out we weren’t perfect, they would reject us.
Fear of Vulnerability – We fear having our weaknesses exposed, so we try to hide them rather than heal them.
Fear of Being Unlovable – We believe the only way we can be loved is to trick people into thinking we are perfect and therefore deserving of love.
Fear of Being Unvalued – We place the evidence of our worth in the earthly products of our striving and straining (e.g. home, family, appearance, bank account, title, etc.).

Every one of us battles this belief in one form or another or at one time or another. In our own way, until we are healed, we strive and strain trying to put demands on ourselves with which we were never meant to be burdened.

When you stop to think about it, the questions are absurd. Enough of what? Enough for what? Enough for whom? These questions are without answers because the premise is flawed. You weren’t created to be enough, you were created to BE. (You may want to check out a blog post I wrote on BEing human, titled “What’s On Your Bucket List? (#18).”

And who told you that you had to be enough? The same critter that put the same lie in the minds of Adam and Eve, that they were lacking and should take action to mitigate what they were missing. And just like us, the moment they complied with his lie they suddenly became uncomfortable with their humanity and felt shame.

Adam said to God, “…I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”

Then [God] asked, “Who told you that you were naked?”

Again, I ask: who told you that you aren’t enough but should be? You were lovingly and painstakingly created by the Sovereign, Self-Existent, Holy, Perfect, Eternal, Only God of the Universe (Psalm 139). Your value was determined by your Creator at the time He created you, merely by the fact that He chose to create you. And your value was echoed by your Redeemer who took extraordinary lengths at great personal cost to give you the option of choosing Him.

Friend, the beautiful truth is that you are so incredibly valuable, just because you exist, just because He created you. Your very life is valuable. Today, on this Valentine’s Day, let me remind you of something that deep down you already know, and free you from the enemy’s trap: you are not enough, you were never expected to be, and you are deeply loved anyway.

Reflection Questions

Do you believe it? Or are you still believing the father of lies? If you recognize the lie you’ve been believing, use the steps found HERE to renounce, repent, rebuke, release, replace, rejoice, and redeem those lies for good!
How does understanding your value as something innate in your being rather than earned change the way you see yourself?
What voices—internal or external—have shaped your definition of “enough”?
In what areas of your life is God inviting you to lay down shame, turn to Him in repentance, and receive His grace instead?

Closing Prayer

Jesus,
We confess how often we strive to be what we were never meant to be. Thank You for loving us while we were still sinners, for paying the price we could not pay, and for calling us beloved instead of rejected.Teach us to rest in Your enoughness. Heal the places where shame still whispers lies.
Help us walk in freedom, humility, and gratitude—knowing our value is secure because it is held by You. Amen.

It’s Never Too Late for a Fresh Start and a Strong Finish! (#53)

The Call to Stop Striving and Start Thriving. (#52)

Leave a comment December 13, 2025 Tracy

As we look back over this year, we see a single thread woven through every lesson, challenge, and invitation: the call to stop striving and start thriving. We began the year exhausted and longing for rest, unsure how to juggle our responsibilities and spiritual health. Yet month by month, the Lord gently led us on a journey toward peace, purpose, and freedom.

At the beginning of the year, I asked if you were weary—tired of running, tired of juggling, tired of constant demands that drain the best of life from your soul? Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11:28 met us there: “Come to Me… and I will give you rest.” We longed to make 2025 a year of true thriving, not endless striving.

As we embraced this intentional reflection, we began to see how our culture’s obsession with productivity fuels our exhaustion. We learned that constant activity does not produce a flourishing life. In fact, stillness is often the most productive choice we can make. By honoring God’s call to “Be still, and know that I am God,” we made room for our minds to reset, our spirits to settle, and our creativity to return. We learned to not only give our bodies sleep—but also to provide rest for our souls.

Early in the year we paused to examine the rock we’ve been pushing—those burdens, expectations, and definitions of success that drain us of joy. We evaluated whether our ladders were leaning against the right walls, or if we’d been climbing toward someone else’s idea of success. We discovered that when we spend our time, energy, and attention on pursuits that aren’t aligned with God’s calling for us, we pay a steep opportunity cost—trading the life we want for one we were never meant to live.

We recognized how material things, schedules, and expectations silently drain us. The intangible cost of our tangibles surprised us: the emotional load of maintaining our stuff, the time lost to managing it, the comparison it fuels, the way it steals joy and rest. That awareness deepened through my deeply personal journey of being forced to downsize—moving from a full home to a small apartment with very little notice. This experience became a holy purge, a forced confrontation with what really matters. We realized how quickly the things we’ve spent decades accumulating can vanish—and how freeing it feels when they do.

Through that refining fire, we learned the value of living with less while loving with more. We remembered Jesus’ words about storing treasures in heaven, not in storage bins. We saw that what endures is relationship, community, and faith—not stuff. On the other side of the loss, grief, and the overwhelming swirl of change, we emerged with a renewed commitment to “enough.” Not scarcity, not excess—just the beauty of soul-satisfying enough.

Amid all this, we also reflected on the deeper freedom we long for: freedom in truth. As we celebrated Independence Day, we acknowledged that while earthly freedoms are meaningful, the freedom found in Jesus is unmatched. It is not political or circumstantial; it is spiritual. Jesus, who is the Truth, invites us into a freedom that is experienced through obedience, discipleship, and trust. We recognized that many of us remain bound—not because freedom isn’t available, but because we don’t fully walk in the truth that sets us free. Faith, we learned, is the pathway to ultimate liberation.

Throughout this year, God gently guided us away from striving and toward thriving. He exposed our misplaced pursuits, invited us into rest, freed us from lies, and led us to release our grip on the things that drain us. He reminded us that the life He offers is not one of burnout, bondage, or busyness, but of freedom, clarity, purpose, and peace.

And now, standing on this side of the journey, we can say with conviction:
We are enough because He is enough.
We can rest because He is faithful.
We can stop striving because He is our source.
We can thrive because in Him we have all that we need.

As we reflect on the articles of this past year, we see that every step has called us back to Jesus—the One who frees us, sustains us, shapes us, and lovingly teaches us how to live with open hands and an open heart. May we continue to walk in His freedom, rest in His presence, and trust that the life He calls us to is not one of proving, producing, or performing—but one of abiding, flourishing, and becoming who He designed us to be.

As we look back over this year, we recognize a gentle thread woven through every lesson, every challenge, and every moment of growth: the faithfulness of God. Again and again, He has invited us to trust Him more deeply, to anchor ourselves not in what we see, but in who He is. Like Abraham, who “believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6), we, too, are learning to take God at His word—to let belief become the soil where obedience grows.

We remember the words of Paul, reminding us that we “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). And as we trace the path behind us and prepare for the one ahead, we hold fast to God’s promise that “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

Our year has been shaped by His steadfast hand, and we step into what’s next with renewed confidence that He is guiding, forming, and sustaining us every step of the way.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your presence that has carried us through this year. Thank You for every reminder that You are trustworthy, every moment when You strengthened our faith, and every place where You invited us to grow. As we enter a new season and a new year, we ask that You deepen our belief, steady our steps, and align our hearts with Yours. Teach us to listen for Your voice, respond with courage, and rest in Your unfailing love. We offer this year—past, present, and future—into Your hands. May our lives bring You glory. Amen.

From Stuff to Enough. (#51)

Leave a comment November 20, 2025 Tracy

When I wrote July’s article on the topic of freedom, I had no idea that I was about to embark on my own process toward a form of unexpected, and at the time unwanted, freedom. Since then, I’ve had a fresh opportunity to walk the talk as I was forced to once again live out every blog post and article I’ve ever written, every topic I’ve ever taught, and every prayer I’ve ever uttered asking God to make me more like Jesus.

My life changed in an instant, and many of the days and weeks that followed were consumed with paralyzing shock, sometimes crippling overwhelm, and layers of previously unimaginable grief. It was a journey, walked moment by moment, while leaning into my place of “enough.” I needed to focus on navigating all that was happening and maintain my sanity in the midst of the storm; thus, my silence for the past few months.

This season required a move from a very full 3,000 square foot home into a lovely but much smaller 1,200 square foot apartment. I only had two days to pack up all my worldly possessions. Things passively accumulated over decades now demanded rapid-fire decision-making…what to keep, what to give to family and friends, what to donate, and what to trash. The word overwhelm doesn’t come close to what I experienced. The purge was real…and real fast. I spent a half century accumulating things, which now I simply could not take with me.

I prioritized keeping only the items which truly add value to my life and which I have recently used. Several carloads of items were donated, dozens of bags of trash, and even several boxes of donation-worthy items ended up in the trash out of sheer exhaustion and lack of time.

I thought about all the money I spent on this stuff and all of the hours I worked to pay for it. Gone.

Two friends were simultaneously in the process of moving their respective parents from their long-term homes into assisted living facilities. They too lamented being inundated by stuff accumulated over the years: items their parents thought would be useful again one day, grow in valuable someday, or be coveted heirloom items. Yet here they were, sifting through a lifetime of stuff and making decisions about what was enough, just like I was.

Some of the stuff was “just in case I ever need it” items. Some were “when I get around to doing this” items. Some were sentimental. Some items were graduate school textbooks that I thought I might refer back to someday. Some were clothes that I realistically won’t ever wear again. All of it was taking up physical and mental space in my life. Oh, there was value in some of the items…just not much value for me anymore.

On the other side of all that madness, I had to ask myself some very pertinent questions:

If I never got around to using it, was it worth buying?
If I never got the book read, did I really need to spend the money on?
What was the cost (financial, mental, storage space) of carrying this inventory of stuff – buying it, storing it, cleaning it, moving it, etc.?
Is there an underlying fear of lack associated with the accumulation of things or a reticence to part with them?
Do I own things, or do my things own me?

Jesus taught that we should invest in what moths and rust cannot destroy. Like building authentic relationships, loving one another well, and carrying one another’s burdens. He taught that we should be generous with our time, talents, and treasures to help spread the good news about Him and to help those with fewer financial resources.

Jesus said, “Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6: 19-21 CSB) To paraphrase: “you can’t take it with you, but you can send it on ahead.”

The truth is that “moths and rust” do destroy the things of this earth…fashions change, technology advances, and the kids just don’t want those heirloom items.

This process made me evaluate what is truly important. It may sound cliché, but stuff fades and tarnishes. Yet the love that has been poured out to me from my tribe – my family, friends, and church – are treasured gifts that have enriched my soul forever.

In this process, I learned what is really important. I learned who my true friends are and made some precious new friends along the way. I saw the true church – the people who gather together to love Jesus – actually be the church. And I experienced an outpouring of love and support from my family and friends that really healed an unknown hurt. I also found it was good, right, and healthy to end other relationships.

Sometimes you need a significant moment in life to remind you what is truly important. The hard things in life can be the best teachers. Often, we hold too tightly to the things of this world and spend our time, energy and finances on accumulating what cannot last.

As a result, I have gone from all that stuff to a life of ENOUGH! I renewed my commitment to living the Enough Life…not lack or scarcity, but also not wasting resources on accumulating and storing excess. I am pleased to report that on this side of the hardship I am so happy. I’m glad to be free of all that I parted with, and I feel a freedom and peace I haven’t had in decades. My heart is so full…the kind of full that moths and rust cannot destroy and thieves cannot break in and steal.

Reflection Questions:

What was the cost (financial, mental, storage space) of carrying the inventory of stuff in your life – buying it, storing it, cleaning it, moving it, etc.? Is it worth it?
Is there an underlying fear of lack associated with the accumulation of things or a reticence to part with them?
Do I own things, or do my things own me?
Do I cherish things more than people?

How to Find Freedom in Truth. (#50)