Lie: You aren’t good enough.
This common lie is an easy one to fall for, regardless of our vocation. As a mother of nine, I can feel overwhelmed and sometimes doubt my competency. This is exacerbated further when I see other mothers accomplishing so much with ease. I can quickly become frustrated with myself and become envious or worse, despairing. When we feel unworthy, we can falsely imagine that God does not love us; that He is not here for us. That is exactly what the devil wants us to believe.
Today, with the easy access to social media and the constant barrage of images and snapshots into people’s lives, we can become even more susceptible to the belief that we are not good enough. We see images on social media and we think…. look how happy they are or look how successful they are. I’m not as successful…. I’m not as good as they are. If I can feel that way as a 50-year-old mother, how do my children who are teenagers feel?
Sharon Johnston, a friend of mine who has led a Bible study for young women and young mothers for almost 10 years, suggests occasional “fasts” from social media. She tells the women she counsels that time away from social media with the purpose of spending that time with God in prayer is helpful to combat the noise that fills our heads.
Johnston is wise. Time away from the noise and from the bombardment of pressures to live or act a certain way is a good way to bring our attention back to the One who gave us life and Who sustains us.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
To counter the lie that we are unworthy, Thigpen suggests we get to know the saints. Especially those who shared our vocation or those who shared our struggles. For instance, as a mother who worries or grows anxious about my children’s faith, I can look to Saint Monica who cried out to God for years in agony over her lost son.
If someone struggles with lust or the things of the flesh, they can turn to Saint Augustine who struggled as a young man with those sins. The following prayer is a good way to turn away from thoughts of unworthiness and ask God for help through his saints:
Look upon our weakness, almighty God, and since the burden of our own deeds weighs heavily upon us, may the glorious intercession of St. ………..protect us, through Christ Our Lord.