Am I good enough?

The other day as I sang the song “How great thou art”, it struck me that this beautiful Christian song is quite simple. The lyrics and music are not complex or requiring complex musical arrangement. No, it is just a simple honest song sang to the melody of an old Swedish folk song. It was written in 1885 by a lay minster called Carl Gustav Boberg. 

He must have heard classical Christian music from the likes of George Frideric Handel and Wilhelm Friedemann Bach who lived before him. I wonder what he thought about his simple song compared to the music these great composers made. Or maybe he didn’t even bother comparing his song with theirs, he just concentrated on writing a song based on his own experiences. I think that is probably what happened.

It can be very tempting to forgo our dreams because we compare ourselves with others and somehow fall short. We may really want to do something, but might feel inadequate or not good enough. This is not entirely new or surprising; some of the greatest people who did amazing things also felt that way at one point in time. 

The Bible says that Moses worried about his ability to speak clearly, when God told him to confront Pharaoh. Gideon also felt insignificant when God asked him to lead the Israelites against their enemies.  Besides these Bible heroes, I still believe any one who has ever gone on to do great things and succeed in life has had to face the fear of failure or the fear of not being smart enough or good enough.

As Christians we must not let this feeling hold us back from pursuing our dreams. You

know why? Because before God, you are more than good, you are His most prized possession! There is no one like you on this earth and there will never be anyone else like you. 

Quit saying you are not good enough. Why? Because before your mother even knew she was pregnant, God knew you and approved of you. He has loved you and will continue to love you with an everlasting love. He doesn’t love you because you are perfect and make no mistakes; He loves you regardless of your mistakes. He chose to love you as imperfect as you are! 

Therefore live and thrive in this love, feel free and bold to explore and be all you were made to be. Don’t go through life wishing you had another person’s life, wishing “if only I was different or I had more of this or that”. Live the life you have been given to the full. You don’t need to be another person before you can enjoy your life.

If you will see yourself the way God sees you, you will change your mindset. You will aspire to be all God made you to be and pursue all the dreams you have in your heart. I encourage you today, look at yourself and say to yourself:

“I love myself because God loves me”

“I approve of myself because God approves of me”

“I am more than good enough because God thinks I am more than good enough too”

Regardless of what life may have thrown at you, or the bitter experiences you may have faced, let these words rekindle something in you and strengthen you to be the best YOU that you can be. It doesn’t matter whether you are working in a low paying job, or earning a six-figure salary or even unemployed. Don’t compare yourself with any other person, because you, yes YOU are good enough to be all you were made to be!

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Image 1 courtesy:http://4hlifecoach.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/i-am-good-enough1.jpg

Image2 courtesy:http://hissignpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/406030_551828774844524_1021914200_n-466x260.jpg