What to do when you don’t feel good enough

Several years ago, I wrote a blog post about the Tower of Babel. I posted, deleted, and re-posted several times, then completely took it down altogether. I didn’t have the confidence, feared what others would think, and didn’t want to hear any criticism. I still had my husband and some close friends read through it, and even though I received a lot of encouraging feedback, something held me back.

I didn’t feel good enough.

And I think that’s what holds a lot of us back from pursuing our dreams and God-given desires. We don’t feel good, or worthy, enough. Take Noah as an example, literally the story right before the Tower of Babel. God asked him to build a enormous boat and warn people of a coming flood. That sounds crazy, but he did it anyway. He trusted in God with the outcome, despite how silly or insecure he might’ve felt.

The more I dwell on it, the more I realize that what God put inside of us isn’t just for us, it’s for everyone. You may feel silly, insecure, unqualified, and even ridiculous at first, but if God gave you a task, a desire, and a calling, that means He knows you’re capable and trustworthy to see it through. Not by yourself and in your own strength, but with God.

God assigned a HUGE task to Noah, not because he was overly qualified, but because he was already walking with God. He was reliant on God for strength, confidence, and even success. God also told him to warn others and call them into repentance, to turn back to God and to physically get saved! The ark and the warning weren’t just for Noah and his family, it was for everyone around him, too.

In Matthew 5:15, Jesus said no one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but instead on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.

The lamp is already lit and shining, whether or not it feels good enough. In Psalm 18, David says, it’s you, Lord, who keeps my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. Your feelings don’t limit what God says or thinks of you. He is the one who keeps your lamp burning, and He is the one who turns your darkness (insecurities, weaknesses, shame, feeling-less-than) into light!

God didn’t and doesn’t put you under a basket because what He lit inside of you needs to be on a lampstand to give light for all who are in the house. The very next verse in Matthew says, In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven (5:16).

LET your light shine before others, so that THEY may see your good works and give glory to God. The light doesn’t question whether or not it’s good enough. It’s just there, shining how it does.

This is a good reminder for us when we want to hold back, get insecure, or are afraid of what others will think, and especially when we don’t feel good enough.

The Lord lights and keeps your lamp burning.
You’re already on a lampstand.
And it’s not just for you, it’s for all to see and get closer to God, too.

Don’t hold back on the things God puts inside of you!

P.S. I ended up publishing that blog post. Looking back on it all these years later, I think it deserves an update! If I hadn’t posted it, I wouldn’t be able to see the progress, or the growth, experience, knowledge and skill the Lord has walked me through. Don’t hold back! It’s not a complete failure if you learned from it! 🙂

Leave a comment below: what is something you feel held back on? How do you overcome these feelings?