Am I Good Enough?

Talented. Well-intended affirmation sculpted my ego into a thin glass spine. Unaware of how fragile my assurance would soon prove, I ventured into the world of writing conferences. I could invite publishers to join my team of encouragers.

Let’s just say things didn’t go as I had expected. Publishers didn’t coddle me with praise-padded enthusiasm. My misplaced confidence took several critical blows.

Ego properly shattered, I limped to my room. Crawled into a fetal position. Bawled. I no longer believed in myself. I doubted the talent with which others had defined me.

After a snot-streaked, prayerful cry, the Lord stood me back up. Reminded me to follow the call. I resolved to continue writing, keep trying to pursue the work God set before me.

But, the question had etched itself as a skipping album in my mind. Its haunting words would play over and over in my head for years to come.

Am I good enough?

For years, I strove to extinguish my doubt by improving my skill. I went to many workshops, conferences, and writing retreats. I learned a wealth of new craft insights and enjoyed priceless fellowship with other struggling writers.

Yet self-doubt and temptation to give up dogged my heels. I strove harder to emulate the techniques of successful writers. With each new level of training, I merely realized how much more I had yet to learn.

Then, I heard best-selling authors admit they’d heard the question, too.

One day, I cried out to the Lord, “I’m not good enough!”

You’re right. I’m glad you realized that. He responded. But I AM.

Now, I place little faith in fleeting matters of talent and success. Why settle for them? I’m intimately connected to the most creative source in the universe. He’s not merely adequate. He trumps all insufficiency, owns the patents on our gifts, eliminates the very concept of failure.

I still hear the question sometimes. The enemy isn’t the creative one. He re-uses his original strategies. Pride. Discouragement. The temptation to believe fulfilling God’s purpose depends on whether I’m any good.

Scripture confirms none of us are any good. “There is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:12). Thank God we don’t have to stake our confidence in ourselves.

The Lord encourages us to offer him our best. He calls us to serve him with excellence. If called to write, we should attend conferences and hone our craft. When doubts arise, we must stake our faith in something greater than our own effort, however. The Lord alone holds the right to define us and to determine our calling.

Author, speaker, licensed counselor, and life coach, Tina Yeager has won over twenty-two writing awards. She publishes Inkspirations Online, a writers’ devotional, and mentors five chapters of Word Weavers International. To book her as a speaker, coach, or manuscript therapist, check out divineencouragement.com or tyeagerwrites.com.

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