God takes the inadequacies of life and does something with it. Many times we see our inadequacies as a curse. But, God uses those inadequacies to bless us on our journey. And not only do those inadequacies bless us. It also ministers to the lives of other people. They are no longer stumbling blocks for us. But blessings in order for us to get to our destination in Christ. As you read, pay close attention to the 4 things feeling inadequate have in common with self-image.

As I think about Moses, in the Book of Exodus, he had some self-image issues. God had given him a commandment to go to Egypt to release His people from bondage under Pharaoh. Moses thought that was an impossible task. He made excuses to God. And told Him why he wasn’t cut out to do the work the Lord was sending him to do. 

In Exodus 4:10, Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” 

Another example in Judges 6:14-15, Gideon struggled with self-image issues. The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

One more example, God commissioned Jeremiah to deliver His people. But Jeremiah made excuses. The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew[a] you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

Have you been in that place where God is calling you to do something and you feel inadequate and asking God to send someone else because you just don’t have the means to get it done through the lens you’re looking through. 

We have to trust Him. He told Moses. I’ll be with you. He told Gideon. I’ll be with you. He told Jeremiah. I’ll be with you. I’m sure, as you’re sitting here today, God will give you that same encouragement. “I’ll be with you.”

Yet, God has equipped us with the tools we need. 

We’re going to always face feelings of inadequacies in our life. But we have to remember what God is saying.

Results of feeling inadequate:

Failure to take advantage of God-given opportunities

God is always giving us opportunities to put ourselves out front. However, if we deny those opportunities we miss what God has for us. Then, we blame God because we failed to take advantage of God-given, well-designed opportunity He crafted for us. 

Note! When God gives you a small opportunity, take it because He knows what’s coming next. God has given me so many great opportunities. However, if I had said “no” to many of them, I wouldn’t be in the place that I’m in today. 

Yes. I felt afraid and adequate at times. But I didn’t want to miss the opportunity and the window of time God had for me to be great. Besides, I was also convinced that God could handle where I was going. 

Let me share with you 4 reasons why I believe people reject God’s call on their life. 

Fear of Failure: You are good enough

Ask yourself this: Whose approval are you after, anyway? You don’t need to impress anybody! Think about it. What does outside approval even get you? Other than people thinking you are cool? They give you the “thumbs up”? You’re living your life in a way that somebody else agrees with? 

All that feels great having the endorsements and accolades from friends, co-workers. Or, your inner circle. But it’s all based upon how you respond in the circle. If you don’t believe me, try doing something that they don’t like or possibly connecting to a group of people that they don’t really associate with and have the same views. 

You’ll find yourself being booted out quickly. And it’s not because you did something wrong. It’s because you decided to make decisions independent of a group of friends. 

Consequently, that’s what we’re supposed to do. However, it’s the decision you made that opened up those feelings of inadequacies. But the circles of influences that have applied pressure to make you feel your thoughts are not good enough outside of theirs. 

Subsequently, we have all been in that kind of situation. The problem is–we were too afraid to leave those kinds of relationships. 

Failure in finances

This is a big one: Sometimes we feel the need to conform to the average way of doing things. Also, what we’ve seen our parents or others do. We feel it works for our lives. Therefore, it keeps us from thinking outside of the box and looking at endless possibilities for our lives and our family lives. 

Dare to be different! Don’t be afraid to take calculated risks. The Bible talks about counting up the cost. In Luke 14:28-30: “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

The people who make big money are the ones who do the opposite of what everyone else does – sell when everyone else buys, and vice versa.

We may have made big mistakes in the past regarding our finances and have missed God. You’ve been given an opportunity again to seize the moment.

Achievers can look beyond the immediate and into the future. Although some may see your visions and dreams as nothing, moreover, you don’t have to confer with them about anything. You just have to work on a big dream. 

If you’re like me, a legacy of wealth was not left for you to go off and create the dream you desire. If so, your dream may be too small. money you will ever have working for you is what you save and invest. People with vision can multiply their income by investing in growth investments. Work for your money, then make your money work for you.

Failure of family

In our minds when we think of family, we think of perfection by far. And rightfully so, because I believe it is a part of God’s plan back in the Garden of Eden. [That’s a whole other story. I don’t have the time to get into it.] However, expectations of perfection are unrealistic – which compounds the family relationship even further. 

Perfectionism can never happen in every situation, and when families display themselves as flawless, they set themselves up for failure.  

Furthermore, expecting everything to be perfect puts a lot of pressure on everyone involved. Living with the knowledge you’ll never be good enough for your family’s jacked-up expectations can damage your emotional health over time. And those jacked-up expectations are taken to the next family and the family. 

In conclusion, there are so many reasons for family members to act problematically, from finances, all the way to their past, and how their family members treated them. There are a plethora of reasons. 

Nonetheless, my favorite wisdom to remember is a dysfunctional family: Some of the unlying issues are not your fault even though you might still feel a personal burden.

With that being said, it’s not your job to change your family. You can only take responsibility for yourself and your own actions. However, it is important to take action. Dysfunctional family patterns can have long-term effects on your life. 

• Having low self-confidence or low self-esteem are examples of how a family can disrupt your life. 

• Growing up thinking that the dysfunctional families’ behavior is normal, so the first step is to break the cycle.

It’s important to remember that no one is perfect—we all come with some baggage. But it isn’t necessary to be perfect to be in a happy, healthy, and in a secure relationship. When you take your attention off of what other people think and keep the focus on yourself, you can’t help but to become a better, more secure version of yourself.

Moreover, remember this: Everything you need is already inside of you. Learn to drown out all that outside noise and just celebrate your unique beauty. A good self-check is to ask yourself, “Am I doing this for the cause or the applause?”

We have to do what God wants us to do each time that He asks us. That’s how we get from one state to the next blessing. 

Go get’em!

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