Meaningful Monday: Enough Is Enough

Happy Monday friends and welcome to This Darling Adventure! I know Mondays can be a bit trying, especially when you have just come off of an awesome weekend, but hey! Hang in there. It is going to be an awesome week too!

Well, I was going to start off this Meaningful Monday with a cute story or humorous anecdote of some sort, but I think it would be best today to cut to the chase. If you only get one thing out of reading this post it is this: I hope you know (or perhaps come to learn) that you are… and that is enough!

I was recently reminded of the fact that there are so many things in this world trying to communicate a different message about the value and worth of us as human beings. And the sad part is that it is all too easy to believe those lies. We are told that we need to fit into a certain category, a certain mold, a certain size jeans to be worthy of love, praise and admiration. This is not so. But do you actually believe that you are… and that is enough?

Now, do not take this as some sort of cheesy, temporary, gone in 5 seconds, hard-to-actually-believe, self-confidence booster. No, no. Through this post I hope to call out something deep within us that has come to passively accept we are not enough. This lie manifests itself in each of our lives differently. For some people, it could reflect itself on the scale, at the gym, or in your closet. For others, it may show up amongst your makeup, at your desk, on your Facebook, or even in your text books. Men are told they are not manly enough, not strong enough, not confident enough, not big enough, not (you fill in the blank) enough. Women, we are told that we are not beautiful enough, not thin enough, not “hot” enough, not smart enough, not capable enough, not bold enough, not (we can fill in the blank as well) enough. But when will it be enough? When will we be enough?

Furthermore, we cannot escape from it. This message of not being enough is reinforced over and over again until it becomes a part of us. The media tells us we are not enough. Comic books tell us we are not enough. Movies, magazines, music, TV, billboards, commercials… realistically everything tells us we are not enough. With this message pulsating throughout our culture, it becomes too easy and even fitting to examine ourselves, noticing all our imperfections. Then, we go chat about how dissatisfied we are with ourselves to friends, family or coworkers. We tell each other things like “I know someone who can fix that” or “you should try this product to fix that” in an attempt to offer one another well-meaning “advice.” In the end, though, all we are doing is adding fuel to the fire.

Friends, when do we become enough to match up to these contradicting and destructive standards? What will it take to get there? How much of life will we miss out on in the process of pursuing unattainable expectations? Whose standards are they anyway? Why do we feel the urge to chase frantically after them when we know they are impossible?

Think about it.

With all this in mind, it can be overwhelming. I know… I’ve faced my own struggles and wasted many years chasing after other people’s dreams of who they thought I should be rather than accepting me for being me. So, please allow me speak a message of grace and of love. You are and that is enough. We are on a journey of constant learning and growth. Definitely do not stop growing into the person you were created to be. But today – in this moment – you are and that is enough. Let’s call out the lie that we have been believing for so long. Let’s extinguish the wildfire of unattainable expectations that that have so inundated our culture. And let’s instead reinforce a new message of “enoughness” in our lives and the lives of those around us. Enough is enough!

Do you believe that you are… and that is enough?