5 Reminders When You Don’t Feel Good Enough 😞

Of all the people I know, I think I treat myself the worst.

If I ever heard someone speak to one of my kids the way I speak to myself, I’d probably get in a fistfight! (okay maybe not, but you get the point.)

Turns out I’m REALLY good at finding reasons to feel inadequate, incompetent, and unlovable.

Now, our culture is certainly out to prove that we aren’t good enough, too. We’re bombarded with messages that tell us we don’t have a nice enough car, we don’t make enough money, we don’t have enough friends.

Lately, I’ve been trying to take these thoughts captive and combat these lies with the truths of God’s word (2 Cor 10:5). I’ve settled on some thoughts that have really helped me get through times of self-loathing.

Comparison kills contentmet
So, the comparison game is universal, and the people you think have it all together do not. Comparing ourselves to others is dangerous because we start rooting for people to fail so we feel better about ourselves. When we look at others through a lens of compassion and encouragement, however, we see that there’s room enough for everyone to succeed.

Don’t believe everything you think. You may be educated and very wise, but your brain will still lie to you. This is why it’s so important to have God’s word written on your heart and mind. Every lie of the devil can be stopped by a truth from the word of God.

Focus on progress, not perfection
Stop focusing on perfection and focus on where you came from to see all the ways you’ve progressed and grown.
You need God’s love the most when you feel like you deserve it the least.
Never forget the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). In the midst of his greatest failure and complete humiliation, his Father RAN to meet him, “while he was still a long way off.” Even if you find yourself, “a long way off” from where you wish you were, God wants to meet with you. He can’t love you anymore or any less than He does right now. Allow His love for you to seep into the deepest parts of who you are, even when you feel like you don’t deserve it. (And I’ll share a little secret with you….even when you do ‘get it right,’ you don’t deserve it then either.)

What’s true about you is what God says about you
But it doesn’t really matter what I say about myself, or about you, or anyone else. What matters most is what God says about us. Here are a few verses to write on sticky notes and hang on the fridge or the bathroom mirror.

–“For you created my innermost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” – Psalm 139:13–14
–“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” – Hebrews 10:35–36
–“Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” – Luke 12:7

Rest assured today, you are good enough. Not because of your ability, intellect, or charisma. But because you are a child of the living God who created you and sustains you. Find your worth in Him.