Adequate

I want a long straight hair instead of my thick wavy locks that has a mind of its own. I would like to be taller than the average height of an Asian woman. If I can have a high-tipped nose maybe my reading glasses won’t slip each time I bow my head down. If my love handles are less, maybe I can fit a spring dress. We can go on and on with what we don’t have. It’s a checklist of x’s that we always keep up. We all do have impediments. Would you agree?

Your requirements are necessary to get the job done. You do the best you can and pour out all your energy, time and effort. You clock in and you clock out. You make one mistake and you let the men down. You’re fired they say or maybe nicely said. We hope you’ll come back. We try to please people all around us. But each time we do so it comes back as a backlash. Most often than not, it depends on who you are pleasing. You might never be enough.

When your soul shouts at you and dares to say you are not enough. You are lost for words to take it back. It’s the end of the road or is it a road block. After all you have done to please him, you are not enough.

How can we water down the thoughts of our inadequacy? When failure has always been an option and a constant enemy. We cover up our weakness but it slips out from our comfort blanket. The going gets tough and we can’t catch up.

There will always be imperfection. We are not bound to be satisfied nor the spectators will ever be. Our weaknesses that we pull down is surprisingly our floating device. The sea of requirements and check list of perfection drown us to the bottom. Your inadequacy keeps your head up on the flooding expectations. But when we start looking around and notice what others have accomplished, we may as well drown because that’s when comparison pulls us all the way down.

You and I are sufficient and adequately granted with grace. Christ’s power is made perfect in our weakness. We are bound to imperfection to fit into his perfection. Our weakness empowers his strength to help us and rescue us from the pit of destruction.

St. Paul boasts gladly on his own weakness. It gets real to admit that there are things that we cannot change. Our weakness is not a sign of defeat. It’s a heads up to Jesus, whose power is made complete.

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV