Unlearning the Lie of “Not Enough”

Series: From Brokenness to Belovedness – Week 2

For so long, I lived like love had to be earned. If I prayed hard enough, produced enough, stayed strong enough — then I might finally feel worthy of peace.

Maybe you’ve felt that too — the quiet hum of “not enough” running underneath everything.

The lie is subtle, but powerful: that you must do something to deserve being loved.

And yet, when Jesus stepped into the river to be baptized — before He healed, taught, or sacrificed anything — the Father’s voice declared:

“You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

He was called beloved before He did a single thing to prove it.

A single flower blooming through soft morning light — symbolizing grace and quiet growth.

That verse changed how I saw everything.

If the Son of God was loved before the miracle, the message, or the ministry — what makes me believe I need to earn what was already freely given?

I realized I had confused earning with receiving.And maybe that’s the root of the “not enough” lie: trying to achieve what can only be accepted.

Love isn’t a paycheck for good behavior.

It’s the soil your soul grows in.

An open field with footprints leading into sunlight — representing the journey from striving to rest.

The Garden was never about earning God’s presence — it was about enjoying it.

So today, maybe you let go of the endless measuring. The “when I’m better,” “when I do more,” “when I get there” stories.

And instead, hear this whisper again:

“You are already enough. You are already loved.”

Reflection

Take one deep breath and say aloud:

“I am loved before I perform. I am enough before I improve.”

Let that truth sink in like light into soil.

This is where belovedness begins — not at the finish line, but right here, in the quiet place where God already calls you His own.

📖 Inspired by themes from my new book, Our Bodies as the Garden of Eden — discover how to live from wholeness, not striving.

Infinite love and blessings,

Nicholas