"I'm Not Good Enough"

Lain Ehmann is a professional scrapbooker.  Recently, in an e-mail advertising an online, live scrapbooking seminar called “Truth Scrap,” she encouraged those who might be interested-but-hesitant in trying the craft with these words:

As a professional scrapbooker and business owner for the past decade, I've heard just about every reason for not crafting, not sharing our creations, for not letting ourselves be vulnerable.  But the one that breaks my heart is this...

“I'm scared I'm not good enough.”

When a woman looks at me with longing in her eyes and shares her fears of inadequacy with regard to her artwork or creativity, I just want to climb right into her brain and remove the thoughts that have somehow gotten distorted to the point where she thinks creativity is some kind of contest or race.

It's this false belief that we are going to be measured and found lacking that keeps so many of us from sharing our heart.

We worry we'll choose the wrong colors.
We worry our page will get messed up.
We worry that our creation won't be as good as someone else's --
 particularly the "professionals."
We worry that people will judge us. 
We worry we'll do it "wrong."
We worry that WE are wrong. 

UGH! Once we get on that escalator of self-doubt, it only goes in one direction - DOWN!

And let me tell you right now that down is NOT the direction for which God intended for you!  God intends for you to take your love for Him and your love for creating and to use them to glorify Him and to inspire others.

Are you ready to take up scrapbooking?

Note this application: God calls us through the Gospel (2 Thessalonians 2:14) to follow Jesus.  And far too often, many respond:

“I'm scared I'm not good enough.”

And the TRUTH is: “You’ve got THAT right!”  We aren’t good enough to be saved by our own merits; none of us are!  The scrapbook of our lives is filled with scraps!  “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

And THAT is exactly why Jesus had to come to this earth!  Our sins separate us from God and destine us for eternal destruction (Isaiah 59:1-2; Matthew 7:13-14).  But God loves us so much that He gave His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins so that we can be saved from sin and receive the gift of eternal life (John 3:16; Eph 1:7).

God will save those who will place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). 
He will continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His
Word (1 John 1:7).

It’s true: I’m not good enough.  Neither are you.  But God loves us anyway, and He wants to save us.  Through Christ, we can be cleansed from sin and be empowered to DO GOOD, demonstrating our gratitude for the cleansing and the life that are found in Christ.  Please read Ephesians 2:8-10.

Won’t YOU accept His offer on His terms and dedicate your life to following Him faithfully?