I’ve been struggling lately with expectations and simply how many we have in our lives. It’s been wearing on me. I’m taking classes and graduating from college in a month, involved in clubs, working, fundraising for the world race, and oh, don’t forget, breathing! In all of these things, there are expectations. Show up, do your part, try hard, don’t mess up. I just feel like everything I go to I’m expected to be in constant growth, pushing forward to become something, someone better.
Now I am one of the first people to tell you that change is a wonderful thing. Challenging yourself is so very important because you’re able to see your full potential. However, it can be draining if there’s too much of it in your life. I wrote a song about this feeling I’ve been having and the chorus is “I feel like we’ve always got to get better at something. Work harder, try harder, change, change, change. I just wanna be enough today.”
If you don’t have just as much reinforcement that you’re appreciated, and that what you do and who you are makes a difference, it’s hard to keep going. I often hear criticisms or corrections from teachers, coworkers, and advisors. And it’s left me feeling like who I am right now isn’t enough. That what I’ve done doesn’t matter, because I could have done something better. Don’t confuse strong people with people that don’t need heartening. Everyone can use encouragement.
So if you get anything out of reading this, I want it to be that YOU ARE ENOUGH. You are more than enough. You were wonderfully, and fearfully made. You are talented, you are appreciated, & WHO YOU ARE MATTERS.
Now go tell someone you love them. Above all, Christ wants us to love.
Matthew 22:37-39 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Romans 12:10 “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
We need to help each other grow, but we need to be loving one another more than that. Whatever you feel like you’re missing in your life, make sure you’re giving it to other people, because if you’re not, how do you ever expect to get it back? It starts with you. Tell someone they matter, and tell them why, because we can all use a little heartening sometimes.
