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.