Are You Good Enough?

Ever had God hit you right when you needed Him to? If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that’s kind of my life story.

I’ll be honest with you and it might get me into trouble.  I like Amy Grant (as a child of the late 80s/early 90s, how could I not love her?), but right now, my music tendencies are leaning a little differently, more Tobymac and Switchfoot and The Fray.  So, I only listened to her latest song because James Taylor is in it. It’s a Carolina girl thing. If James Taylor sings it, you have to give it a listen.  Ask any Tarheel.  They’ll tell you I ain’t lyin’…

I guess that was God’s way of getting me to really hear it.

Because I needed it.

And I’m guessing a whole lot of y’all do too.  Or else… she wouldn’t have had to write a song about it.

As human beings, how often have we run away from God thinking we’re not good enough?  I know of plenty of people who say they’ll come to Jesus when they “get their act together.”  You’ve heard it a thousand times…. you’re act will never be that together.  If it was, you wouldn’t NEED Jesus in the first place.

But what about those of us who already love Jesus?  Who already know we need Him? Those of us who sometimes (or often) come into prayer feeling like He’s mad at us, He’s not listening, we’ve somehow let Him down? It’s no secret I’m a recovering/often relapsing people pleaser. So I’d say it’s a pretty regular occurrence for Satan to hit me with that one. I’m trying not to listen.

But we’re human, and because other people judge us and expect us to measure up, we assume deep inside somewhere that God does the same. But He doesn’t. He knows we’re messed up. That’s why He sent Jesus. That’s why he made sure we saw Romans 8:35-39 (NLT): And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing, nothing, nothing.  Nothing I say.  Nothing I do. Nothing anyone does to me.  Nothing I think. Nothing I feel.  Nothing I question. Nothing I scream about. Nothing. I don’t have the power to make God stop loving me. Think on that for a moment…

-JB