You’re never good enough.
I’m sure we have all felt this way at least once. We’ve been told that there will always be someone better than us by parents, teachers or our peers. We beat ourselves up over failed exams, broken promises and lost relationships. No matter how hard we try, our results sometimes never seem to add up to our personal standards or society’s.
With only seven more weeks of the semester left, my thoughts are once again consumed with the stress of grades, work and friends. I’m sure this is the case for many of us. I’ve been so busy trying to maintain these aspects of my life that I’ve forgotten why.
Why do I try so hard to be “better?” We measure ourselves up with accomplishments, but it’s never enough. I remember freshman year, I received a 98 on one of my chemistry exams and was satisfied until I found out the student next to me received a 101. I had studied as if my life depended on it, but it wasn’t good enough.
“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Jesus said in Matthew 6:26.
As a Christian, I’ve forgotten time and time again I am enough. The imperfections that I strive so hard to improve mean nothing to Him, because I have already been accepted and am loved unconditionally.
We have an unhealthy tendency to measure our worth by our achievements. We deprive ourselves of sleep in order to receive the grades that will make our parents proud. We pile on more responsibilities than necessary just to build up a resume that will one day land us a job. We go out every weekend to see our friends in order to maintain the relationship. We spend so much of our energy, time and money to please others that we fail to see how much of it starts to eat away at our lives.
It’s important to keep our heads up instead of drowning in our stress as we’re nearing the end of the semester. Stop identifying yourselves through your grades, your resume, or the people around you. God loves you, not what you do.
Sarah Pyo is a senior journalism major from Chicago. She is the web & social media editor for the Lariat.
