I do not have a lot of money. I do not have flat abs. I do not have a big company knocking at the door of my email box begging to publish the books I’ve written. I could go on and on.

The game is way too easy to play: focus on all the things your life lacks, all the ambitions you’ve not accomplished, and the places you hoped to be but have not yet achieved. We roll our deficiencies up like a great big snowball making our discontent as long as a ski slope and shrinking our hope to a flicker in the distance. In this case, the biggest snowball does not win though.

Why do we so naturally identify ourselves in negative terms? Why are we so quick to list all the ways we don’t measure up? Before long, our identity becomes grounded in whatever lack we focus on most. It’s sad, but maybe not that unusual.

God had big plans for Moses. And, like many of us are tempted to do, Moses rattled off of all the reasons he could not say “Yes”. Moses feared failing, he feared rejection, and he argued he was not a public speaker. He was overwhelmed by the assignment God had given him. Moses let all of his inadequacies decide his inability to readily accept what God had planned for him.

But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” God answered, “I will be with you.”

~Exodus 3:11-12a NLT

God is with us and always will be, in our lack and because of our inadequacies. Maybe our solution to overcome our weaknesses is as simple as Moses’s. God will be with us. End of story. He is enough when we don’t feel or believe we are.

So, the next time you are tempted to think you are not good enough, not thin enough, not financially fit enough, not spiritual enough, not nice enough, have not accomplished enough, take a deep breath. Then, remember God’s enough-ness is more than sufficient to cover our inadequate areas. And, because He is our Father, He does that because He loves us.

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children.

~1 John 3:1a NLT

You are His child—precious in his sight—He loves unconditionally just like the very best father would. He loves you; He loves me. And He will be with us to fill in our gaps, just like a good father.

The next time God asks something of you that feels too big for you to accomplish, remember His presence is a given. Put away your list of reasons you cannot say “Yes” and step into what God has planned for you.

What areas do you need to adjust your thinking away from lack, so you can accept God’s assignment for your life?

Dear Father, I am sorry for not always operating from my potential. Please remind daily of the value You see in me. I want my thoughts to come from a place of gratitude for the way You created me. I will say “Yes” to you more often—I want to walk in the plans You have for me. I choose to live fully and freely as Your cherished child.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Genre: Nonfiction

Copyright 2021: Focus of Lack: Cynthia Mendenhall: All Rights Reserved