Not Enough is Enough

One of the great wounds many of us carry is the feeling, “we are not enough.” We are not good enough, strong enough, smart enough, pretty enough, or (fill in the blank) enough. We see and feel that in our own lives, and we see it in the people of the Bible. Gideon clearly felt like he was not enough.

Gideon lived during a time when his country, Israel, was routinely overrun by an oppressive group of people so vast they could not be counted. Whenever Israel planted their crops, these people would invade and ravage the land leaving the Israelites impoverished. This happened so routinely, the Israelites became doomsday preppers, literally building and using shelters in the mountains to which they would flee.

When the Lord gave instructions to Gideon to do something about this, Gideon’s response clearly revealed his sense of not being enough.

“But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” (Judges 6:15, NIV84)

Manasseh was the largest tribe in Israel, but Gideon viewed his group of people in this tribe as the weakest and himself as the least significant member of his family. He was the least of the least. He was not enough. How could he save Israel?

There are two expectations that emerge next in the story that tell us how he did go on to accomplish this task. The first is the expectation God has of us. He tells Gideon not to worry but to apply whatever strength he has (Judges 6:14). All God expects of us is to do what we are capable of doing. The second expectation is about what we can expect from God. God promises Gideon he will be with him and they will accomplish the task together (Judges 6:16). When we apply ourselves, we can expect God to make up what we lack.

Here’s the good news. Alone we are not enough, but we are never alone. When we are pressing into being the people God created us to be, when we are pressing into creating the kind of existence for ourselves and others God wants us to create,  God is always with us, making up what we lack. God with us makes us always “enough.”

The first part of this story can be found in Judges 6:1-16.

Incomplete Without Love (1 Corinthians 13)

Without love, I am nothing but a noisemaker. I am nothing. I gain nothing.

Even if I am gifted with the ability to communicate clearly with heaven and earth,

Even if I have intellectual abilities that allow me to understand how all things work,

Even if I accomplish great things,

Even if I am self-sacrificing to the point of giving away every penny I own, even giving up my own life,

Without love it means nothing, accomplishes nothing, and is in fact – NOTHING!

Love is more about how I live my life than about what I do with it.

I do not concern myself with what I want or don’t want.

When others do not act according to my time-table, I am patient.

When others seem to encroach upon my “space,” I am kind.

When others have what I want, I am not envious of what they have nor do I brag about the possessions or abilities I have.

Because, IT’S NOT ABOUT ME!

I am not the center of the universe.

                        I am not rude, seeking to advance my own agenda.

I am not easily angered, for I am at least as concerned for others as I am myself.

                        I keep no record of wrongs, because life is not about me.

            I refuse to give way to anything that destroys or tears down others.

                        I protect.

                        I trust.

                        I hope.

                        I refuse to give up on believing for the best in others!

Love is the mature way to live, for love will never fail.

            Knowledge will fall short.

            Communication will cease.

Achievement will not be enough.

Love will remove all the barriers.

We will come face-to-face with completeness.

What is incomplete will be made complete.

We will know fully and be fully known.

Love is everything. It is what gives direction to faith and hope.

Opened Eyes

The story is at best mystifying and at worst offensive. Sarah tells Abraham to “get rid of that slave woman and her son,” which is actually Abraham’s son, Ishmael. God tells Abraham to listen to Sarah, so Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael off into the desert! God did tell Abraham not to worry, that Ishmael would become a great nation, but it still leaves me scratching my head. (Genesis 21:8-19)

I don’t understand why God endorsed this course of action, but I do understand how Hagar probably felt. One day she is cared for and protected. The next day she is banished, not knowing who will protect and provide for her and her son. Eventually she runs out of water. Sure that they are both going to die, she hides her son under a bush, sits down, and waits for death to come.

Instead of death, God comes. He tells her not to be afraid, that he has great plans for her son. He replaces her fear with hope. At that moment, “God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.” (Genesis 21:19a, NIV84) It does not say God caused a water well to appear. It says God opened her eyes, and she saw it. Apparently it had been there all along.

This is something with which I can identify.  Grief, loss, discouragement, and hopelessness can blind us. The situations we sometimes find ourselves in can be so disheartening or appear so overwhelming that we can’t see God’s provision, even when it’s right in front of us.

In times like that, it’s helpful to remember God has a plan, just like he had a plan for Hagar and Ishmael. It may not be what we expected or wanted, but it’s a good plan, a plan that instills hope for the future.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV84)