Defining Enough

This 'Steps to Trusting' podcast episode focuses on how using the word enough in regards to people without defining the term can lead to feelings of inadequacy. Erin discusses the value of people. People are always enough to be loved and valued.  However, she highlights how the statement "You are enough," often clashes with the reality that people aren't enough to fulfill all the expectations and needs of themselves or others.  Erin discusses personal experiences that reveal only God is truly enough to fulfill our needs. What people lack in ability to fulfill the needs of others does not take away from their value.  The episode references Genesis and Nehemiah 9 to illustrate God’s sufficiency and faithful provision. The key takeaway is to trust God, recognizing our value lies in being loved by Him, and to praise Him for the good in our lives rather than taking personal pride. The episode concludes with a prayer, emphasizing the importance of transferring our trust to God.
00:00 Introduction to Steps to Trusting
00:10 Defining 'Being Enough'
01:07 Biblical Example of Provision and Limits
01:46 Personal Experiences and Lessons
02:29 God's Role in Fulfilling Our Needs
05:28 Recognizing God's Provision
10:57 Trusting God Fully
12:22 Conclusion and Prayer

Transcript

[00:00:00] Erin: Welcome to Steps to Trusting. At Steps to Trusting, it's my goal to meet you where you are in your faith journey, and to encourage you to continue to take steps to trusting the Lord more fully. On this episode of Steps to Trusting, we're going to start something I talk about often, but we want to really define some terms about the idea of being enough.

[00:00:21] Our culture tells us over and over you are enough, and I don't think it really defines the terms because I found myself in places where I thought I was enough and I wanted to be enough for a certain task. However, I found out that I wasn't, and it was a really hard process as I walked through realizing that I couldn't be enough for what everyone else in my life needed.

[00:00:49] And I couldn't even be enough to provide the needs that I had. I want to acknowledge that, that we have to figure out what is the does enough mean? So I think when we hear the statement you are enough without that definition, it's really hard to figure out what it means. And yet, the Bible tells us in some places that we are enough.

[00:01:13] And, I think that that comes down to this place of value.

[00:01:18] We are valued by God. We were created in his image. He, loves us so much that he sent his son to die for us. And so We are enough to be loved. We are enough that Jesus died for us. The value that he lays on us is high and we are enough for that.

[00:01:41] And yet there are places that we are not enough. I think. I felt this first when someone wanted me to be enough and I wanted to be enough for them too. This is a lesson that I learned, in a friendship that was hard, but it's a lesson that applies across the boards in so many relationships that I have.

[00:02:04] In other friendships, in my parenting, in, My marriage, or I need to realize that, people are not enough to fill the needs that I have. That sounds harsh when you first say it and it feels like it's a stain on who they are. And yet the reality is here that people are not supposed to be enough to fulfill the needs that we have. God is. He's the one who is enough for what we need. He's the one who provides all the needs that we have. This makes me think all the way back to Genesis in the creation when Adam was alone 

[00:02:46] created Eve, Eve was created as a fulfillment, as a provision For what Adam needed, God knew that he needed companionship and God gave it to him.

[00:03:00] If Adam then were to look to Eve to be everything that he needed and not acknowledge that Eve was from God. He would be putting her in a place that was much more than she could handle. And I think that we do this over and over to each other. One of the examples that comes to my mind is when I have a specific thing, I want to tell my husband and I tell him and I want him to be super excited.

[00:03:30] I want him to think that what I have to say, like, that's so exciting. But we're different from one another. And when his reaction is not the same,

[00:03:39] I could become disappointed. I could feel like I needed him to be excited with me in this moment. I needed him to, help me feel validated. But the truth is how someone reacts to us does 

[00:03:55] not. dictate the, the value of who we are or the value of what we have to say. It also doesn't dictate the value of that person saying they're not enough for what we needed. It doesn't take away from their value. It's just not the role that they're supposed to fill of enough.

[00:04:16] There is one who is enough And it is God. 

[00:04:19] need: The

[00:04:20] Erin: all sufficient God, the the God who is enough, This is a concept that's going to come up over and over in this season.

[00:04:29] And maybe just over and over in the podcast. I'm trying to figure out right now if this actually becomes a tagline, 

[00:04:36] steps to trusting where it is our goal to transfer our trust to the God who is enough. And I want to do that little steps at a time Where we acknowledge and see that our trust is not in God and where we can turn, we can make a transition to let that trust go back to the Lord. I think it's little steps and it starts with acknowledging that we've placed trust in things other than God and continues as we decide, will we continue to let that be where our trust lies or will we turn our hearts?

[00:05:14] So that we can trust God more fully,

[00:05:17] To be able to do this, we need to recognize that God is enough for everything that we need. God is the one who the provider of all of our needs, 

[00:05:28] the verses that are coming to mind, we talked about in seasons in the past, but. Nehemiah 9, Nehemiah 9, it just talks about God's compassion and the way he treated his people with compassion and the way he, he loved them and provided for them. And it tells all of the ways that he provided for them.

[00:05:50] And they stopped recognizing that the provision was from God. And that's what I am asking God to. Help me to recognize that every good thing that we have in this world, every good thing that I have is from him. And I think that I have often let pride be what comes when I see good in myself instead of letting, praise be what happens when there's, when I see good in me, because God is the creator of all good. He's the one that allows me to have anything good. So if there's kindness or love or faithfulness or wisdom or knowledge or, fruit of the spirit for this spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.

[00:06:45] If any of these things are found in me,

[00:06:48] Any of these things are found in me in any glimpse instead of being proud of myself or letting myself, step into pride, then I can instead surrender it to the Lord in praise. To recognize that it's a gift from him and to receive that gift with thankfulness.

[00:07:12] That's something that I fall into often. I fall into wanting to be prideful about the gifts that God has given me instead of receiving those gifts with praise. I invite you guys to look at this in your own lives to look and see, is that something that you're doing? Are you allowing good in your life to drive to pride or to be an expectation?

[00:07:38] Or is it something that allows you to be thankful? That idea of expectation is another thing I really want to dive into because I think When God gives us good, we expect that it will continue. And it doesn't always, it doesn't always, it's been a while since I've been recording podcasts and a lot has happened.

[00:08:01] We've had a lot going on in our family. And one of the things that I've learned this year. Is that every breath is from God, do you know how I learned it? I didn't learn it because every breath was easy.

[00:08:15] I didn't learn it because, I woke up every morning and didn't think about breath. I learned it by watching people I care about struggle with breath. I learned it because I was praying that breath would come easily, that breath would continue. And, that has been a huge challenge in my life and yet it has been a huge blessing to stop just Expecting the gifts of God to stop just thinking because God has given good in the past, that he will continue to give good and that he must give good. God doesn't have to give us good. He does it because he desires to offer it to us.

[00:08:57] And I have this funny analogy that came to me, When we ask the question of why did this good have to stop? When someone we love is struggling to breathe, we ask why what's happening? Why is this stopping? And

[00:09:14] okay, back to the analogy. Say we took our kids to Disney and in Disney We're having such a great time Everyone's enjoying the gift the good thing that we get to do together as a family and then We have to leave. The good stops. It's time to go home.

[00:09:34] We still have good at home, but just stay with me for the analogy that may break down in places. So we have to go home and the kids say, why do we have to leave? it's not fair. We don't want to go home. Right? I think this is the same kind of question that we are asking God. Why, why do we, why does it have to stop? And I'm not saying it's a bad question. It's valid question, but I think what we need to see is that it doesn't stop the trip from being good. We still had a good time. It's not the expectation that we will live in Disney for the rest of our lives. It's for a time and it was still good for a time. And God is allowing me to look at gifts in my life like that and to hold them open handedly.

[00:10:27] I know we've talked about that in the past of even just prayers open handedly, but to hold open handedly the things that he offers, the things that he gives us and not have, them as an expectation.

[00:10:40] It's a huge challenge to not expect good from God. It's a huge challenge to not become complacent to just receive the good. but to actually acknowledge that it's from him. One of the verses that has been really, God is working and using in my life right now a lot is trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding and all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your path straight.

[00:11:13] This is not a new verse for me. This is a verse that I've heard from When I was a kid, and actually I was telling a friend recently, I just remember as a kid hearing these verses and learning them. And you're like, yeah, I got it. Trust in the Lord. I got it. I'm good. And God is just like sinking this down into my heart, that I don't have to understand.

[00:11:37] I don't have to understand why. I don't have to

[00:11:41] I have all the answers. I can trust him. I can trust him and know the character of who he is, that he is good. That he is enough for what I need, that he knows what I need, that he is willing to give me what I need. So this concept of trust in the Lord with all your heart is really just digging deep into my own heart. And I'm so thankful for God's provision and kindness that he would allow me to understand my need for him, to understand my need to let go of trusting myself and my need to all my ways, acknowledge him, let him make my path straight.

[00:12:22] I want to thank you guys for listening in today for thoughts with Erin

on the steps to trusting podcast, where it is our goal to transfer our trust from whatever it is that we are seeking to the God who is enough. I'm going to close us in prayer. Dear God, I pray that you would help us to trust you, help us to seek you, help us to honor you.

[00:12:46] Lord, help us to acknowledge you in all of our ways. Make our path straight when we don't understand, Lord, and I pray that you would help us to lean on you and not our own understanding. It's in Jesus name that I pray. Amen. 

[00:13:01] Friends, thank you so much for joining me today. I'm so thankful to be able to share this conversation with you 

[00:13:08] If this was a message that spoke to your heart, I would ask, would you please share it with a friend that you think that it would encourage?

[00:13:15] Sharing the podcast definitely helps us reach the people who need to know that our God is enough and we don't have to be. If you want to connect with me, I encourage you to head over to my website at ErinMichele. net, where you can sign up for my newsletter, know the things that are coming.

[00:13:32] I've had some technical difficulties with my newsletter over the past. It's been actually quite a while, but I'm hoping to get that all squared away and get those out to you guys shortly.

[00:13:43] I hope you join us back here next time, but until then, I wanted to leave you with this encouragement from Ephesians 2 10, for we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

[00:13:57] Friend, I'm praying for you as you keep on stepping.