Not Good Enough

“You’re not good enough.” - How many times have we heard that statement, be it through teachers, parents, friends or others in authority? There will certainly be times when we get angry or upset about it, but more often than not, the pain just cuts deep within ourselves, hurting our self-esteem.

But hey, you’re not alone in this. Most, if not all of the 6.6 billion people on Earth would have faced it. It is termed insecurity – a feeling of nervousness triggered by the notion of ourselves being unloved, inadequate or worthless. (Think: ‘I feel like Sh*t’)

The response to insecurity is somewhat universal – thinking that we ought to ‘correct’ ourselves. In an effort to achieve that, people in the US alone went through almost 11 million plastic surgeries in 2006, and worldwide, an estimated US$18 billion is spent on cosmetic products annually. Still, do these products really work? Well, if any, the effects would merely be temporary.

Time and again, we tend to define ourselves by what others think of us. Sure, we all need that social acceptance. But living primarily by worldly standards would cloud us from realising something more important – that God loves us the same no matter how we walk, talk, eat and think! Romans 8:38 tells us that even death cannot separate us from the love of God! In fact, we were so wonderfully and uniquely made, that God knew us before He formed us, He set us apart before we were even born! (Jer 1:5) Doesn’t that tell us how precious we are to Him? Who are we then, to label ourselves to be the biggest losers on the planet, when the Bible calls us the children of God?

So, the next time the world tells you that you’re not good enough, remember: The Creator of the whole universe made YOU in His image!