Ahh... the eternal question that every girl/woman asks others... Can you love me? Can you accept me for me, every part of me, every area of my life? I would be lying if I said I haven't been asking myself this question for years and more often in the last year. I think that as we become adults the realization of people coming and going into our lives becomes clear. There is a season for everything and everyone... right?
I have the privilege of working with a young woman right now who reminds me so much of myself 14 years ago. It's crazy to think that I'm not too far removed from the shoes that she now stands in. She's asking herself if she can be loved, accepted by others. If what she's doing is "good enough." And to her I say, "yes." Because I realize now 14 years later that "good enough" is a relative term. We each have a different standard, a different definition for "good enough." Now, is there a standard in which you can compare yourself to the standards of society or the world? Yes, I do believe so. But at the end of the day, I think you really have to ask yourself if you're doing good enough for you. What does that look like? And at the end of the day do you know that no matter what... God loves you right where you're at?
"Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don't let go." ~ John 6:37 (MSG)
So many times we seek to control areas of our lives that we lose touch with what is real, what is true. The fact is, we are human in a fallen world, whether we want to recognize it or not we have a dark side. That doesn't mean we have to live in it, sit in it, and ignore the goodness, the light that God is calling us into. I'm willing to bet that on a daily basis we each find ourselves in a tempting situation or sin struggle, one that we have kicked and screamed and struggled to fight to overcome... by our own strength. But it's when we give up that fight, when we allow God to come in and give us that strength that we find peace, healing, redemption. So in God's eyes, you are good enough, and He loves every part of you... even your dark side (aka your struggles). Would He like to see you walking in absolute freedom, yes of course, but He also knows it's a process. Be patient with yourself, and remember that as you seek to be loved and accepted for who you are, so do others.
