Enough

I have written much about what the Lord taught me during Mom’s journey with cancer and the lessons that He taught me when she passed away.  It’s been about 6 years since Mom was officially diagnosed with brain cancer and about 4.5 years since she passed away, and the Lord is still using that trial and missing my mom to teach me so much.  One of the biggest lessons that He is teaching me lately is this:

God is enough.

As you know, I’m a mom of two boys (one is almost 3 and the other is 7 months).  When I was growing up, I always pictured that my mom would be here for my journey through motherhood.  There have been so many times where I wished that my mom was here.  I would love her advice on how she dealt with me when I was 2 and was in that “I do it all by myself” phase (because my 2 year old is totally there).  If I’m totally honest, there have been times where I felt like I was missing something being on this motherhood journey without my mom and that I needed her here.  But when I slip into these thoughts, the Lord continually reminds me of this truth- He is enough.  He is all I need.

Maybe you haven’t lost a parent, but I have a feeling that we’ve all been in this place before, where you just feel like you’re missing something/someone and there’s something else that you need.  Maybe you’ve moved and you’ve left your “village” behind.  Maybe the Lord has called you to something that you don’t feel fully equipped for.  Maybe you feel left out or hurt by someone.  Maybe you’re the only Christian in your workplace, and you feel out of place.  There are so many situations in life where we can think that we are missing something or that we need something else.

Friends, let’s look at what God’s Word says on this:

• “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (ESV).  When we are weak, when we feel like we’re not enough/don’t have enough, when we are in the middle of the valley, that is when Christ’s power is made perfect.  His grace is enough for us.  Our weaknesses and times of trial give Christ the chance to show off His strength.  When we are weak, He is strong.  So, no, I don’t have my mom here as I journey through motherhood, but the grace of Jesus is enough for me.
• “And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:19 (ESV).  God knows exactly what we need.  In fact, Matthew 6:8 tells us that He knows what we need before we even ask.  God will give us what He knows that we need for the journey that He has put us on.

For me, part of the Lord’s perfect plan for my life was for my mom to pass away before I had children.  I miss her and wish my boys could meet her, and that’s okay, but what wasn’t okay was when I had thoughts that I hadn’t been given “enough” to get through this motherhood journey without her.

God is enough.  His power and strength are being glorified in my weaknesses.  He has been and will continue to supply me with everything that I need.  So, how exactly has God been enough?  Let me brag on Jesus for a minute!  First, every single person’s greatest need is the fact that they are a sinner in need of a Savior to forgive them of their sins.  God answered this need in my life and in your life by sending His Son Jesus to live a perfect life, die on the cross, and then be resurrected on the 3rd day.  If that’s all that the Lord had done for me, that would have been enough.  But beyond my salvation, the Lord has been so, so good to me.  He has give me His Word, the gift of prayer, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.  These things have given me so much conviction and encouragement for not only motherhood, but just for life in general.  The Lord has also surrounded me with friends my own age who are in similar stages of motherhood that I am; I can share with them a story of how my 2 year old said, “I not do nice things for other people!” when I gave someone at the store our buggy, and they totally get it because they’ve been there recently.  Besides friends my own age, He has given me family and friends who are a step or two ahead of me.  These people just don’t know how awesome they are to me!  Their encouragement of “You’re doing a good job” or “He won’t go to college in diapers” means the world to me!  Honestly, I could go on with how the Lord has shown Himself to be enough for me.  There’s our family who are always willing to help out with the boys or give us a date night.  There’s our church family who will willingly chase Hunter in the gym when I have no energy to do so.  There’s probably even ways that the Lord is providing that I don’t even see now.

So, yes, for me, part of my journey in life is to walk through it without my mom.  What the Lord has planned for you may look similar to what He has planned for me, or it may look completely different.  Either way, I can probably guess that there has been/will be a time when you don’t think you have enough, or when you feel like you’re missing something.  These are the times when you need to fully lean in on the Lord and to trust in His all sufficient grace.  Ask Him to show you how He is enough.  The Lord will equip you to do what He has called you to do.  He will provide you with the people you need in your life.  And if nothing else, He has given you His Word, His Spirit, and the ability to pray to Him whenever and wherever we want/need to.  And even better than all of that, He has offered His free gift of salvation.  I feel like I’ve said this a million times, but there’s honestly no better way to put it, in life’s highs and in life’s lows- God is enough.