Month: January 2026

NOT ENOUGH

NOT ENOUGH

She said to me that she was not enough to be accepted by God. She felt she had made so many bad decisions and sinned so many times; how could she be enough for God to forgive her. It made me start thinking, are any of us enough? Look at these verses that show us that we, in ourselves, we are not enough. Even when we have sinned, through us reaching out to God for forgiveness, we become enough. We may not be enough to the perception of others in this world, but we are enough through and to God with His grace. Romans 3:23-25 reads, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed.” It is through Christ’s blood that we become enough. Ephesians 2:10 reads, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Some versions use the word masterpiece for workmanship. We are God’s handiwork. Genesis 1:27 reads, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God, He created him; male and female He created them.”

We become tangible evidence of His immense grace, mercy and transformative power. We show who we are through Christ, reflecting His goodness and are an active part of showing others His service to others, through us. We are a spiritual likeness, not physical resemblance, as God has no form. But, through our righteousness in our actions, we show others the image, the light of God.

The dictionary meaning of enough is: adequate, decent, sufficient of a quantity that can fulfill a need or requirement, acknowledging inherent worth beyond performance or comparison, recognizing you don’t need to prove yourself, and accepting your flaws while still allowing for growth. So, how does one feel when they don’t feel like they are enough: low self-esteem, looking at past experiences rather than actual ability, worthless, depressed, inadequate, shameful, anxious, self-critical, need something of the world to help them to feel better like addiction, exhausted, deep sadness, hopeless, try to constantly be like others by trying to please others, fearful of being judged.

Let’s look at a couple of men who did not feel enough to do what God asks them to do.

In Exodus chapters 3 and 4, we find Moses, when God was talking to him, thru the burning bush to rescue the Israelites from their Egyptian bondage. Moses felt like he was not enough.  He asks God “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh…” Then he asks God “…suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice…” Also, Moses says “…I am not eloquent…I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” He wants someone else to go in his place. God ends up getting angry (the ultimate time to be scared!) and He told Moses, he was sending his brother, Aaron, to go with him, to be the spokesperson to the Israelites and to Pharaoh.

In Judges 6, we find a man named Gideon. God was sending him to “…save Israel from the hand of the Midianites…” He felt he was not enough, not worthy, for this job because he was in the weakest clan, and the weakest of that clan. Gideon was doubtful that this was really God talking to him and asks for two different signs so he can for sure know it was God. This was a stalling practice. (Just a side note I noticed, God was extremely patient with Gideon compared to Moses.) If you have never read about Gideon, read chapters 6-8 of Judges.  Even though Gideon, (renamed Jerubbaal) showed his lack of faith, God still used him for God’s purpose. Read about how Gideons’ army was chosen. Started with about 30,000 and after the tests, was only an army of 300! The Midianite army was about 120,000-135,000. Yikes!!

Moses and Gideon, both looked at the visual, what they could see. Not remembering the power of the Almighty. They focused on what they saw as their inadequacies, rather than believing they could fulfil the mission God was going to send them on. They focused on who they thought they were or were not. They felt they were not enough for the task God was going to send them on. Instead of looking inside themselves and who they perceived they were, they should have looked upward to God and who He knew that they actually were.

So, if you are feeling like you are not enough, then get your Bible out and look at some scriptures that tell you who you are through God’s eyes. Look up these verses: Psalm 139:14 “…fearfully and wonderfully made…” Ephesians 2:10 “…His workmanship…” Matthew 10:31 “…more valuable than sparrows…” Isaiah 43:4 “…precious in My eyes…” Romans 5;8 “…Christ died for us while we were sinners…” 1Peter 2:9 “…you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people…” Matthew 6:26 “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” John 15:14-15 “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends…” 1John 3:16 “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us…” There are so many other scriptures that let us know we are important, we are enough, in God’s eyes.

 Don’t live down to what the world might say about you. Don’t believe your worth depends on meeting the world’s standards or its approval. Rather look up to what God says about you! Set your sights beyond this world and instead, embrace eternity, knowing you are enough in God’s eyes.

In a world full of endless mixed messages, it is easy to get lost in the fog and become deceived by half-truths. Turn to God’s Word, the Bible, to the one and only God, and see what He says about you. The world full of the Devils lies, tells you, you are not enough! But God will be the only One who tells you the truth that, you are enough.

Till next time!                                  Keela

(Many of you have asked about my book, “Deep-Press-On, A Caregiver’s Story.” My publisher says it is in the last stages, the distribution stage. They are predicting it will be ready in April. It will be an overwhelming, emotional day when I can finally hold it in my hands!)

THE END OR THE BEGINNNING

THE END OR THE BEGINNING?

“Does Christmas (New Year), come at the end of the year or does it just provide its timing for it. Is it the moment we close the door on all that is past in the months that have proceeded it. Or is it the time that we open our eyes and say, come we are ready. We will embrace it all…” (taken from Call the Midwife)

There are so many things in my past that I wish I could go back and change. So many wrong words that slipped out of my mouth without thought as to what reaction those words would have on another. One of the times I have held onto the past was when, all my family were together for Christmas several years ago. I had been having trouble with my blood pressure-too low-and I messed that Christmas up with my words and actions for everyone. (I know it was not all about the blood pressure, but that did not help.) I was trying to bring my mother’s traditions and my traditions together and things just were not working out. Why did I try to make that time so perfect? Why was I trying to make it just like the past Christmas’s when my mother was alive? I was trying to hold onto the past, as tight as I could, with the fun my mother did for Christmas. Was I afraid I was going to lose that connection with my mother? I was holding tight to that past which caused chaos.  How does a person come back from that? How does a person forgive themselves for that? Forgiveness is not what this blog is about, but this blog is about putting things behind us and moving on. It is true that we have to ask for forgiveness from God, from those involved and learn from the wrong that was done or said. Then, leave it behind. Give it to God and let go! If we hold onto the past and don’t leave it behind, it will smother all the good out of our future, because we are holding onto the past and dragging it into our future. We are looking back and not forward. When we do that, we will fall. We will get exhausted. Our past mistakes are meant to guide us into our future, not become the definition of that past year or of you.

When we sing “Auld Lang Syne” (meaning “for old times’ sake”) at the end of the year, are we putting that last year where it should be-in the past-old times. Or do we bring it into the new year, which should be full of promise and hope of better times. My daughter and family, when they lived here, would always come over to celebrate-eat and play games on New Year’s Eve. I remember telling my daughter, the New Year’s Eve after my husband passed away, that I felt like I was leaving him back there in that past year. How could I go forward? Who was I without him? What was I going to do and how was I going to live without him? Is there some way I could “pull” that past year forward? Hold onto the things and him who I was leaving behind. Have you ever felt that way? You want to hold onto someone or something and not move forward with your life. You don’t have to have it all figured out before you let go and move forward! Just take the next step! Just step forward, with God guiding you.

We can’t relive, change or hold onto the past, where those we love use to be. Can’t relive those wrong actions or words that were done or said and do them differently. It is hard to let them go. But we have to! Time marches on whether we are ready or not to follow into the unknown. Do we need to let ALL those memories go? I firmly say no! Instead, we need to bring them into our unknown future learning from those good and bad memories. We need to be strengthened with God given peace, that we made it-we learned from it-we can go forward with God in charge. We need to be reminded and rest assured that God helped us through those tough times and He will help us move forward. He is always there for us and “we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) This verse promises that, for believers, God works every wrong-every suffering-every trial-every challenge and, yes, every good and bad, together to bring about a good outcome for His purposes and the best for us. This works into His larger plan for those who love Him and follow His law and calling, pushing and moving us into our promising future. Do you have that kind of trust and faith into God almighty?

Isaiah 43:18-19 reads, “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.” Verse 25 reads, “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins. Behold, I will do a new thing…” Isn’t that an amazing thought that God blots out those things that we have done or held onto. In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul says, “…forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead., I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” This was a man who had pulled Christians, men and women, out of their homes sending them to prison and was active in murdering Christians. (Acts 7:58, 8:3, 9:1-2) Paul, after the transformation he made from a murderer to a new life in God, he could have easily gotten stuck into thoughts of his terrible past. This would have made him stagnate and unable to perform his purpose for God in his future. Paul shows us that we can escape the negative things in our past and move forward into our future for and with trust in God.

When we hold onto the past, we are choking out the present future ahead. Maybe, it is not about holding on to the past. Maybe, instead, it is about focusing on what we are grateful for in that past year. What did we do right! It might have been a trial or hardship, but what happened that was good in the middle of it? What did I do right. What was a blessing in the middle of it.

C.S. Lewis said “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”

As we go into this new year, let’s use the things of the past year that we are not proud of, to propel us into a better future. We can be better, remember the good things and learn from that past year and hold onto promises of a life in service to God, in your future.

Are you looking at this new year as the end of who you are, not able to see a future you? Are you holding onto the chains of the past that are pulling you back and not forward? Are you like, the other day when the wind was blowing so hard, it was trying to push me back to where I had been, no matter how hard I was trying to push forward. Or are you looking at this new year as the beginning of better things; putting your hope, trust and faith into the promises that God still has for you in your future.

Is this new year, the end or just the beginning for you?

Till next time!

                                               Keela