Enoughness

 

    Sometimes new words get added to a family's vocabulary.  Like this summer, meeting up with another family, they encouraged their children to do an 'adventure wee' behind a tree while we were out on a walk in the woods.  We loved this fun, upbeat description and have adopted it for ourselves as well.

    But that is not what this post is about.  I just thought I'd share in case you liked it as well and want to adopt it too! 

   ANYWAY.  I digress.

    Our family runs on hugs.  We are a very 'huggy' family. There has been a lot of change and uncertainty around over these past few months. And we have all needed more hugs more than usual.  

    One day my daughter came to me, feeling down and not really knowing what to do with herself. 

    "I know what the matter is!" I declared, "You have a serious case of 'hugged-not-enoughness'. But it's ok, because I know the remedy."  And she laughed and we hugged and enjoyed some close mummy-daughter time. 

    Anyway, she loved this little phrase and it stuck and so now she will come to me and say, "Mum, I've got hugged-not-enough-ness!" And I'll sigh and say, "Oh dear, not again.  We'd better do something about that."

    My son thought he could adapt it the other day and came to me declaring, "Mum, I have 'screen-time-not-enough-ness." 

    "Nice try, " I replied, "However I think it is rather the closely related disease 'screen-time-too-much-ness'." Which was not the answer he was hoping for. 

    ANYWAY.  I digress again!

    This morning I was reading Romans 10:2-4 (The Passion Translation):

    "although they are deeply devoted to God . . . they've ignored the righteousness God gives, wanting instead to be acceptable to God because of their own works . . . For Christ is the end of the law. And because of him, God has transferred his perfect righteousness to all who believe."

    And God showed me that this is all about 'not-enough-ness' too. 

    This is what the gospel is:  We bring God our 'good-not-enough-ness' and He gives us Jesus' 'perfectly-good-enough-ness'. 

    I have a tendency to beat myself up for my 'not-enough-ness'. To think that post-salvation I am somehow meant to get it all right.  

    However, God offers me His 'enoughness' every day, every moment that I turn to Him.  It's ok to have not-enough-ness. It is the human condition. God knows.  He has made provision for it.  He doesn't want us to struggle on by ourselves.  He made us to want Him, to need Him. He wants to be deeply involved in our lives; loving us and providing for us.  

    So let Him.  Today, bring Him your 'not-enough-ness' and lay it down at His feet so that your hands are empty to receive His enoughness today.