There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

1 John 4:18

Have you ever been offered a really great opportunity, only to turn it down out of fear of messing it up? Are you tempted to throw up a wall whenever someone tries to get close to you because you’re convinced they’d run if they really knew you? Do you tend to hide away whenever God is calling you to serve Him because you feel unworthy?

If you answered yes to one or all of these questions, know that you’re not alone. This fear comes in many forms, but at the root, it’s the fear of not being enough. For some of us, this nagging fear has become the theme song of our existence.

Not good enough.

Not strong enough.

Not smart enough.

Not pretty enough.

Not spiritual enough.

Not pure enough.

The list goes on and on. I have said each and every one of these statements at one time of my life or another. But here’s the question that I’ve recently been asking myself. “Enough for what?”

The phrase “to not be enough” means to be unable to satisfy a requirement or standard. Have we ever paused to ask ourselves who holds the standard? Who are we trying to satisfy? For some of us, the person we are trying to live up to is the fabricated version of ourselves that never makes a mistake and always does things perfectly. We hold ourselves to impossible and unrealistic standards and, because we fail to measure up, we conclude that we’re not enough (*side note: nobody can actually live up to these standards of perfection by the way, no matter if their Instagram seems to make you think otherwise*). Others of us have been abused, rejected, or even told outright that we aren’t enough to be loved, cherished and protected. As a result, we either hide away in shame, act out due to deep-seated grief, or try to somehow earn the love of others.

So, how do we address the fear of not being enough in a healthy and biblical way? The best way I know how to overcome it is to allow God alone to both set and fulfill the standard. Sound confusing? Let me explain.

The only perfect One to ever exist covers all our fears of not being enough not by telling us that we are enough, but by telling us that He is enough. No matter how high you think your standard is, God has the highest standard. His standard is absolute perfection. Yet because He knew that we will never be perfect as He is, He sent Jesus to die on the cross and pay the penalty for sin. Here’s the good news friend: we don’t have to strive to measure up anymore. God set the standard and met the standard in Jesus. It’s finished. The battle is won.

All of our fears of not being enough lose their grip because of Jesus Christ. In Him we become children of God, lights in the world, and more than conquerors. When I begin to filter my fears through the eyes of Christ and the new identity He gives me, this is how it changes the narrative:

“God, I’m not enough to be loved.” Daughter, you already are.

“God, I’m not enough to be chosen.” Daughter, you already have been.

“God, I’m not enough to truly have a purpose.” Daughter, you already do.

If you have been deeply wounded by others and made to feel like you aren’t worth anything, hear me: you are loved, so much so that someone literally died for you. What your mom said about you, what that guy did to you, that thing you did in the past that haunts you, none of it has the power to eliminate your value, disqualify you or define you. You belong. You are chosen. You are His.

Friend, the next time God calls you to do something and you want to run, resist the temptation to focus on your own inabilities and remember that the One who is enough will give you more than enough to do it. The next time someone reaches out to love on you and you want to hide because you feel unloveable, remember that you are already loved by the most High and choose to press into the beautiful gift of relationship with others. Let’s all agree to stop trying to be enough and thank the One who is exceedingly and abundantly more than enough.

Let me know in the comments below how you plan to push back your fear of not being enough and embrace your true identity in Christ.