Living in a culture that defines us by our outward appearance and quantifiable achievements can be exhausting and demoralizing to anyone, and at some point or other, most all of us find ourselves tempted to buy into the the propaganda of self sufficiency.

Like a hamster on a treadmill, we’re so conditioned to put one foot in front of another and run headlong toward the next great thing and the next big goal, that we never question where is all this effort even leading?  Is it even possible or necessary to be all the things and do all the things we want to be and do, through our own strength?

Why I Don't Have it All Together and You Don't Have to Either!

Even on those rare days that we meet all our expectations and manage to accomplish all the things, we still often experience a deep down sense that something is missing.  We know that is a pace impossible to keep up every day.  Our bone-deep weariness reveals it, even when our minds stubbornly insist on pushing forward anyway.

Sustainable, soul-satisfying contentment eludes us, always one step ahead and we can never seem to chase it fast enough. The insatiable, never ending desire for more or better has the potential to crush our spirit and deaden our hope for the future.

Some of us are already half crushed and deadened by the secret sense of failure to keep up but desperate to hide the overwhelming suspicion that we are not good enough and have nothing to offer.

Why I Don't Have it All Together and You Don't Have to Either!

I love when people come to this blog and tell me they are encouraged to see examples of what is possible.  I love to see people happy and inspired.  But He must increase, and I must decrease. (John 3:30) In other words – I want you to know, any good you may ever find in me is actually when you are recognizing Him within me.  And the good news is, the same is true for you!  Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world!  As Christians, that’s what has always been true, and will always be true.  There never was and never will be any need to keep up appearances!  No need to pretend we have it all together, because the truth is when we do – we are missing the whole point  🙂 And the point is, God’s economy is one of grace, not striving.  “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”  – Ephesians 2:8

Just think, why are we here in the first place, if not to:  come to know God and make Him known to others.  To seek to point others back to Him, in all that we do.  For those we interact with to walk away more impressed with Him than they are with us.

The satisfaction of checking off the boxes on our to-do lists was never meant to be a replacement for the soul-satisfaction of placing our hope in Jesus.  Placing our hope in anyone, anything, and especially ourselves always bitterly disappoints.  The lifelong fight of the Christian faith is to believe what God has already said about us.  Every day we must tell ourselves the truth we know to be true, because every day we’ll forget it and think we have to earn His favor.

Why I Don't Have it All Together and You Don't Have to Either!

If you find yourself struggling with any of this right now, will you let me know how I can pray for you and anything else I can do to come alongside you?  Please hear me when I say:

You.  Are.  Not.  Alone.

I’ve been where you’re at right now and you are on my heart, even now.  So much so that I think this is going to turn into a two part letter to you. In an effort to NOT keep up appearances, I’m going to tell you all about how I am NOT good enough on my own in my next post, and why I am okay with that  😉

For part two of this post, Click Here next!