More Than Enough

One June day, I received a phone call from a student’s parent. Her daughter had just finished third grade and was heading into fourth in the upcoming school year. The mom shared that there had been some difficulties throughout the year and asked to meet early in the summer as we prepared for the next school year. She explained that her daughter didn’t want to go to school anymore.

As a principal, one of my core goals is to create a school culture where kids want to come each day. So anytime I hear about a student not wanting to come to school, it hurts. Not because I take it personally, but because I hurt knowing a child feels that way.

The young girl and her mom came in, and we met in the quiet conference room. The nine-year-old began to share a bit about how she was feeling. She was staying at the surface level until her mom gently encouraged her to open up more.

“I don’t feel good enough,” the girl said. “I never feel like I’m good enough.”

As I listened, the conversation grew deeper. She went on to say that when she comes to school, she hides her water bottle, hides her jacket, even keeps her lunch hidden. She has poor eyesight and needs glasses, but she’ll leave them at home or hide them at school. Why? Because she feels like none of the things she has are good enough compared to what others have.

As I sat there listening, my heart hurt. We often feel deep compassion for kids when they express these kinds of struggles, especially at such a young age. But here’s the truth: these feelings aren’t just something kids face. This isn’t just a school thing. These thoughts of not being good enough show up in all of us, no matter our age or stage of life.

Maybe you’re a mom who feels like you’re failing your kids every time you scroll past another perfectly filtered post of someone else’s parenting highlight reel.

Maybe you’re a dad who silently carries the weight of wishing you could provide more for your family.

Maybe you look at your marriage and feel like it doesn’t measure up, so you keep quiet and hide the struggles, comparing what you see in others to what you feel inside your own home.

Maybe you’re not where you thought you’d be at this time in your life.

Maybe you scroll through social media, and with every swipe, that “not good enough” voice gets a little louder, digging in a little deeper.

I thanked that young girl for her courage in sharing how she felt. That’s not easy for a nine-year-old to do.

We had a great conversation. I gave her a fist bump and said, “Let me tell you a couple of things I see: You are more than good enough. You are perfect just the way you are. I know that doesn’t make things easy, especially as a young girl growing up, but I love having you here at school. I want you to be here and be exactly who you were made to be.”

As she and her mom left that day, I couldn’t get it off my mind.

Because the truth is—it’s not just her. It’s all of us.

Here’s the thing: Satan loves to plant those little lies in our minds, no matter our age. Lies that whisper:

“You’re not doing enough.”
“You’re falling behind.”
“You’re not worthy.”

Maybe you’ve felt like that nine-year-old girl your entire life, like you were never good enough. Maybe no one ever told you that you are good enough. Or maybe they did, but you never believed it. Maybe those feelings followed you into your teenage years and into adulthood, and you’re still carrying the weight of them now.

Let me tell you something important.

You are good enough. You are more than good enough. 

There is an awesome God who made you just the way you are. Before you were even born, He knit you together in your mother’s womb. He knew exactly what you’d look like. He knew the gifts you’d have and the struggles you’d face. And still He called you His own.

So, if you’ve been hiding your heart like that little girl hid her jacket, her lunch, or her glasses, thinking what you have, who you are, or what you offer isn’t enough, I hope today you’ll hear something different.

You are seen. You are loved. You are enough. Not by anything that you’ve done, but because He is enough