Belief Statement #21:
I am a difference-maker, a world-changer.
I am whole, content and fully equipped
for every good work through Christ who strengthens me.
I lack no good thing.
When I was younger and in school, part of me had something to prove. Maybe to my parents, maybe to my peers, definitely to myself. I had to prove I was able to achieve whatever I set my mind to, able to conquer tasks assigned to me, able to climb above my circumstances and hit the mark. I think they call it perfectionism. Then one day I reached a point where good enough was good enough. I didnβt have to be the best at anything, just good enough to get by. According to my own standards, anyway.
Unfortunately, Iβll never forget a time when those two different mindsets collided and left a permanent mark. During my junior year in college, I was having a rough semester overall and wasnβt particularly interested in the literature course I was taking at the time. By the end of the semester, I had failed to write a paper for that class, not even an attempt at it. I received my first and only βzeroβ ever in my entire academic career. Because of that I received my only collegiate βC.β And because of that, I missed βmagna cum laudeβ by two hundredths of a point.
The perfectionist in me has never let me live it down. The βgood enoughβ part of me reminds me that I still graduated with honors. I remember my pastor at the time telling me, βWhen they announced your name at graduation and said, βcum laude,β I was surprised. You really had to overcome so much during your college years! I was really proud of you.β
Despite othersβ encouragement, somewhere along the line, I had stopped believing in myself. I had stopped believing that I was fully equipped to overcome it all. Thatβs the real reason I didnβt pursue a double major in English and math. The real reason I let that one paper slide by without even trying. I didnβt think I had it in me. I let the Enemy have his way. It only took one seed of doubt to keep me from trying to hit that mark.
Itβs been a long time since those decisions were made. Fifteen years later Iβve learned the Truth about what God has placed within me, even if I need to be reminded of it time and again. That doesnβt make it any less true or make me any less equipped for any and every good work that the Lord has set before me or for which He has planted a seed in my heart. The Truth is that the Holy Spirit lives within me and continues to fuel my every word and deed according to His perfect plans. This year God has reignited that belief in myself because of my belief in Himβan all-powerful God who loves, cares and roots for me to hit that mark.
βGod has put seeds of greatness on the inside of you. Break out of your box! If you can accomplish it on your own, then itβs not a Godβsized dream.β β Joel Osteen
βGood enoughβ was a βme-sizedβ dream. And itβs no longer good enough. With my βGod-sizedβ dream firmly established in my heart, I can make a real difference, maybe even change the world.
The Art of Choosing True Life 