"Not Good Enough!" (Grace Note #59)

 Not Good Enough! (Grace Note #59)

Written by Gary L. Clendenon, July 7-12, 2018

Why is it that we often struggle with the feeling that we are “Not good enough”. I would submit to you that are two important reasons: one very true and one very false. I believe that understanding these reasons correctly can be life changing!

Being “Good enough” strongly suggests some kind of standard of perfection that we ought to be to be living up to. This “Standard of Perfection” is everywhere in our society and world. From the moment we are conceived we are swimming in this all-encompassing idea that we ought to be perfect. It’s as if it’s written in our DNA!

As we continue through our lives, everything in our world continues to beat home this message: “You must be perfect.” And, unfortunately, our value and worth seem to be largely determined by our ability to measure up to this “Good enough” standard. Where does this idea come from?

One of the things I love about the Christian perspective is that there is a logical answer to this question. This constant feeling about our lack of goodness is an ever-present reminder and an echo of a perfect past, a perfect beginning. “In the beginning, GOD created the heavens and the earth…. And, on the sixth day, God looked over everything he had made; it was good, so very good!” In terms of goodness, the very language for what we now feel comes from the very beginning.

So, what we feel now suggests a gap, a chasm, a huge change between now and back then. We all know the story: Our First Parents took the choice given to them by Almighty GOD to give life a go on their own. Because they were created to function ideally in Union with GOD, this choice introduced a horrible glitch into their lives, a glitch that led to brokenness, struggle, decay, and eventual death. This glitch was written into their DNA, and we, their progeny, naturally inherit this glitch. This is a Truth that, on our own, we cannot change.

The first reason that we struggle with feeling “Not good enough” is because, through no fault of our own, we ARE “Not good enough”.

In my description of “The First Reason”, I proposed that the reason we feel “Not good enough” is a DNA-embedded gift from our First Parents, Adam and Eve. It is a natural by-product of being born human. Some call it “The Human Condition”. It painfully and truthfully represents our deviation from a complete union with Almighty GOD and His perfect plan for humanity, and we deeply long for that “Good”.

Now, some will point out that our First Parents were deceived, and that is, of course, correct. And, to further that point, I will add that it would be quite foolish for us to ignore this fact and not learn everything we can from their mistakes. We would be wise to look at what we can learn from this key story of Adam and Eve being deceived.

The first and most obvious lesson would appear to be that our First Parents had an Enemy. The second lesson we can learn from their story is that their Enemy’s tool of choice was deception. The beautiful talking Serpent told Eve two complete lies which led her to make the choice to eat the fruit and change the nature of her relationship with GOD. Adam followed Eve into this deception and also ate the fruit.

Now, if we apply these lessons to our lives, we can deduce that we most likely face the same Enemy that Adam and Eve faced and that the Enemy’s primary mode of deception has not changed. A survey of the Bible quickly and strongly confirms these facts: We do also have an Enemy, and our Enemy’s main approach is deception through lies. See John 8:44 (Footnote 1)

The second reason that we struggle with feeling “Not good enough” is that we believe the lies that being “Not good enough” is our fault and that this matters to GOD.

This is HUGE!! Sadly, many, many believers in GOD are still—after thousands of years—falling for the Enemy’s lies. Two lies were told to Eve. Two lies continue to suck humans today down into the pit of shame and despair. This may come as a surprise to some of you, but it is not GOD’s desire, intention, or plan that we live in shame and despair!

The first lie we fall for is that “not being good enough is our fault.” And, if one follows that logic, that means that if it is our fault, then there is something we can and must do about it. Therefore, it’s our responsibility to be better, to fix this flaw, to try harder, to overcome.

Our whole society—including many Churches—is built to reinforce this lie. Everything around us shouts subtly—to sometimes not even subtly—“You’re not good enough.” And then, of course, conveniently, society supposedly has the answer for our problem: “Just DO THIS. Or THIS. Or TRY THAT!” Sadly, an even darker side of this deception is our society is hard-wired to gladly take our hard-earned money to continue to perpetuate this evil lie!

The challenge with this deception, as with all deceptions, is that there is just enough Truth mixed in to make it believable. That is why it was so important for me to share “The First Reason” we feel “Not good enough”: “Because we aren’t!” Ironically, it is this Truth that is twisted and sadistically sets us up for the deception that we can and must change our level of goodness to be good enough.

This lie is complete and utter bull-crap, and I am calling it out right now! I am taking this lie down in the most forceful way I know how—with the Truth! The Bible says that knowing the truth “will set you free” (2) and Christian, we need to be free of this demonic deception. Rebuke it. Renounce it. Speak the Truth to it. What is that Truth?

As shown in “The First Reason”, the GOD-awesome Truth is that our “not being good enough” is NOT our fault, and outside of living in relationship with GOD, there is nothing we can do to be good enough! It is not our responsibility to fix our brokenness; it is GOD’s, and He will do it!

The second lie is related to and naturally builds upon the first: “Our ‘Not being good enough’ matters to GOD.” Sadly the message we often get from the Church is that our being or NOT being “good enough” REALLY matters to GOD.

Unfortunately, this falsehood leads many to Pharisaic Legalism and a completely distorted focus on Perfection: We must try harder, pray harder, work harder to make it into GOD’s kingdom: “Watch out Christian Soldier! Any moment or tiny slip-up could lead to your eternal damnation!” This perspective is even perpetuated in our jokes. I think the most common “Christian” joke takes place at the Gate of Heaven where the sinner meets Saint Peter and finds out if he earned enough tokens to get into Heaven!

Sadly, believing that “being good enough matters to GOD” has led many a discouraged human, having tried their hardest to be good enough, to realize the reality of “The First Reason” (It is impossible to become good enough), and then say, quite logically, “If I cannot be good enough, what is the point in even trying??”

It is no wonder that so many at this point just completely give up having any religious practice at all. They may still believe in GOD, but, sadly, have accepted their “eternally damned fate” because they have fallen for this devious, twisted untruth! Others “Soldier on” in grim martyrdom until their death, all the while still believing the lie.

I feel so sad and even a little bit righteously angry to see so many people stubbornly struggle with this deviously evil untruth! I know that I bought into this lie for many of my 58 years and am just now beginning to see the Truth that overcomes this lie! I am so excited to share this life-changing Truth with you and hope that it brings you the Peace and Serenity that it has brought me. I have been working on these words for days, and I am so impatient to share them with you!

The Truth to combat this lie is: GOD Loves you and meets you and accepts you wherever you are. Whatever level of goodness you have does not matter to GOD because it is NOT your goodness that gets you into Heaven! Yes, perfection is required, but not yours! It is the goodness and perfection of Jesus of Nazareth that clothes you and washes away whatever imperfections and not-goodness you may have. When GOD, Your Loving Father, looks at you, all He sees is His beautiful child.

“But I keep sinning,” you say! Yes, you do, and just like any loving Father, when you mess your pants, Your Heavenly Father, without a word of shame or condemnation, removes the mess, cleans you up, puts some fresh clothes on you, and then gives you a kiss and says, “Now, go run and play.”

Friend, this is the True Gospel. This Truth is the thing that when you get a hold of will, as I stated in my first paragraph, forever change your life! To the extent that we accept and believe this Truth, to that extent will we be at Peace and in Serenity with our growing relationship with GOD. There is no shame even in our lack of ability to believe this. GOD meets us always right where we are at. We can always join the man from the Bible who cried out to Jesus, “I believe. Help my unbelief.”(3) And, He will—always.

FOOTNOTES:

(1) “You are the children of your father, the Devil, and you want to follow your father's desires. ...there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he is only doing what is natural to him, because he is a liar and the father of all lies.” John 8:44

(2) John 8:32

(3) Mark 9:24