Christian Counseling

You are enough. You are enough. You are enough.

You are not lacking.

Nor are you TOO much.

As a Christian, you know you are made in God’s image and that your life is inherently valuable.

But that long distance between your head and heart – between what you know and how you feel – can keep you from REALLY believing it.

Here is the great myth – we all fall prey to believing we are not enough.

It could be from less-than-ideal parenting.

It could be from misunderstanding the world’s reaction when we were little or not so little.

It could be spiritual warfare.

It could even be a protective measure.

Consider that – when we are little and cannot get our needs met, it can be easiest to blame ourselves. How can we make sense of caregivers who cannot or will not meet our needs?

It would make sense to assume that there is something wrong with us because, in that view, we can try to fix it to make it better, hoping that we will eventually get what we need.

The irony is that we keep living with this belief that we cannot or will not get our needs met even when we are older, more mature, and actually capable of meeting our needs.

You can’t live authentically when you don’t think you’re enough.

And that’s a great tragedy.

Fundamentally, feeling like you are not enough is based on fear which means you are living your life and making your decisions from a place of fear.

Good things can still come of that, but it is not the most efficient or joyful way to live.

The more we understand we’re enough, the more things change.

The opposite of fear is faith.

I think part of living in the lie that we are not enough is living in the lie that God does not love you enough to want the best for you. When we can move through these feelings, and often the painful parts of our past that solidified these lies in us, we can be free to live out who we are.

We are free to take leaps of faith because we know that we are loved and will ultimately be okay – whether on earth or in heaven.

The more connected you are to God, the more connected you are to yourself. And when you’re connected to yourself, you see yourself more accurately – you view your strengths and limitations more realistically.

Compartmentalizing our lives can be useful, but…

It’s not always accurate.

Our society values thinking so highly that it practically rewards you for being numb below the neck. This disconnection between our thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and senses – between our physical, mental, emotional, psychological, and spiritual lives – is unhelpful… and potentially harmful.

We cannot be spiritually healthy without being emotionally healthy. We cannot be emotionally healthy if we are not physically healthy. These aspects of our lives are all connected.

It seems in the church that certain “sins” have varying degrees of acceptance. Once we recognize that we all sin, have vices of choice, and have areas to heal and grow, we can move past the decompartmentalization, the judgment, and support each other in living out our God-given purpose.

Fundamentally, health is a result of connection…

… with God, self, others, and the environment around us.

Our feelings and thoughts are meant to work in tandem, allowing us to tap into our intuition and make the best decisions for ourselves and those around us.

When we start to feel what it is like not to be afraid of our emotions and start to trust that we can handle them as they come up, we no longer have to operate in fear.

We can be free to make bold choices out of the authentic voice inside us. And we are free to make mistakes, knowing we will be okay in the midst of them. You get to show up for your life.

The more you can be present in your life…

… the more you can choose your responses – rather than just REACTING to what happens. And when you can do that, it opens up the possibility for love, joy, compassion, and tenderness.

We build your capacity to be present by noticing what is happening in the moment and touching on the feelings that show up, at your own pace, to your own extent, and having a new experience with what is there. To connect more and more with yourself, which then expounds outward.

It’s really not complicated…

It’s a leap of faith.

But I believe that if you’re willing to take the leap, neither you nor I have to worry about what happens next. The Holy Spirit will work it out.

We need to connect and get started!

Give me a call. Let me answer your questions and get to know you during your free consultation: (651) 412-3247.