"...when others say I'll never be enough."

A while back I blogged about the fear of not being "enough", and I have to admit that I find myself falling back into that now and then. I used to think it was something that came with being a new teacher, but I've been blessed with conversations with seasoned teachers where they've admitted similar feelings. I was relieved it wasn't just me, but I still chalked it up to a teacher thing.

After I got married and being a wife was thrown into the mix, I started worrying that I wasn't being enough as a wife -- especially over the past 5 months with some time-consuming work stuff. You don't want to neglect your spouse, but you don't want to hold back from what you've been called to do in the ministry, either. I know I'm not the only one to face that, either. Whatever you are called to do each day is your ministry, and you have to juggle that with your home and family life. It's pretty easy to question where you're investing your time as dishes pile up or play time with the kids (or the pups in our case) gets shoved into pockets that are smaller than you'd like.

And the list could go on and on and on.

I started to chalk this up as an everyone thing not too long ago.

We juggle many hats, and what a joy it is to be so many things to the people around us. I love getting to listen to friends that are going through something and then hearing them say, "Well, I feel better after venting for a while." I love getting to catch up with my family on the phone or Skype. I love getting to help a coworker brainstorm some ideas to try to solve a problem. I love getting the giggles with my husband. I love making new friendships here in the place we've come to call home. But the reality is that it's easy for those little voices to sneak in and fool us into thinking we can do so much more than what we are doing with our time.

Right now, for instance, I know I should be investing time in finishing report cards and preparing for Parent-Teacher conferences -- and I may kick myself later for not getting as much done tonight on that front, but I have been stock piling words for this too.

Dear friends, I want you to know that you are enough. You are loved. You are wonderful. You were created by a loving and gracious God who can look past your imperfections. He's placed people around you to uplift and encourage you when you can't see or feel your worth. The fact is that we will feel lousy and broken sometimes, and we need people around us to reflect God's love so we can push back those voices that try to discourage us.

And the bad news is that sometimes those little voices in our heads can be voiced by other people, too. There are plenty of people out there who will try to make you feel awful about yourself. Don't let yourself listen to the voices that try to push you down and hold you back. No, don't give them any of your precious time.

You are loved. You are wonderful. You are greater than some people will ever know.

And that brings me to this song to share with you today. I cannot tell you how many times I've heard this song in the car on the way to and from school on days where I let those negative voices beat me down or how many times it's been stuck in my head during a particularly trying day, but it has become an anthem to power through the Yuck those voices try to spread in my mind and heart. I hope this helps you drown out the voices that try to make you question what you're doing. You are blessed, loved, and treasured.

Let this song wash over you and take away those awful little voices, friends, and let it inspire you to go out and love as best you can in what you do and say. And if nothing else let it get stuck in your head, too, so I'm not the only one jamming out to it these days. :)