No Better Mom For The JobSample

Your lack is not a liability 

There was a night not long ago where the only thing I could see was my lack and no way through it. My patience with the kids was shot. Their whining and bickering were only matched by my exhausted irritation. The pressures of life were building under a tight lid. I needed to let some steam escape before I blew it.

As soon as my husband walked through the door, I told him I needed to take a walk around the block. Love you. Thank you. Good-bye.

With dusky-gray sky overhead, I let the evening air fill my lungs. One foot in front of the other. Step, step. Deep breath. The rhythm of my feet helped move my heart toward Jesus. Yet even in letting my tangled emotions unravel before the Lord, I still felt knotted up. Stuck. I needed to process out loud the question banging on the walls of my heart. I messaged a friend.

“What do you do when what you have to give is not enough for what is needed?” I pleaded into the phone. 

Faced with commitments I couldn’t break, looming deadlines, and pressing practical needs (like dinner to eat and clean socks on feet), I was in a place of “not enough.” Not enough time. Not enough energy and clarity. A wavering resolve to keep on keeping on.

My friend could have replied with advice or sympathy. Instead she messaged me right back and said, “Remember the story of the fives loaves and two fish. God can make your not enough into more than enough.”

The next morning, I woke up feeling like I was already drowning. Before my day even began, I felt doomed to defeat. Do you ever feel that way?

I kept thinking about my friend’s message. I was familiar with the loaves-and-fishes Bible story. Jesus took a meager meal and fed five thousand people. Got it. Check. But I didn’t see its immediate relevance to my situation. Apparently, I needed to learn it again.

Sitting at my kitchen counter with a sink brimming with dishes behind me and piles of papers in front of me, I read Matthew 14:13-21. It was like Jesus lifted my chin and said, “See Me. See how I can take a total lack and turn it into total satisfaction.”

Before there was enough food to pass around, before the problem was solved or crowd’s predicament averted, Jesus looked up to heaven and gave thanks for what was already provided. Could I do the same?

I’ve never had God give me an abundance of bread and fish, but He has multiplied my time, energy, joy, and creativity more times than I can count. I’ve got a hunch you could use a miracle or two in your week. Let scripture set your perspective. 

Instead of focusing on your lack, first give thanks for what you already have. Then look to God. Eyes up to heaven. Surrender your heart to His best for you. 

Trust that when trials come your way and things don’t unfold the way you planned, your lack is not a liability. It’s actually an opportunity to experience God’s power.

Your not enough is an invitation to receive His more than enough. 

Your inadequacy is a chance to be filled up with God-confidence.

One Simple Step: Choose one to focus on today.

· Ask God to reshape the way you think about your lack. 

· Pour out your tangled heart to Him. 

· Give thanks for what you have today and trust God to multiply it.