This idea that we’re not good enough is something many of us struggle with us periodically. Will I measure up? Will I meet the standards that have been set? Will I be as good as I was last time?
As I sat to edit His Perfect Family, these questions and others like them plagued me, so let’s talk about it.
I think most of us will admit that we have some type of standard we’re trying to meet. Those expectations may have been set when we were children or in response to our life experiences, maybe both.
If we’re not careful, this drive to be good enough can take our focus away from finishing the work God has assigned us to worrying about all the things we cannot change.
Why We Think We’re Not Good Enough
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So why do writers and other creatives believe we’re not good enough? I think the answer lies in the fact that the world exalts greatness.
It chooses particular things and people and holds them up as a standard to the rest of us in a kind of, “This is what you should aspire to” kind of way.
If you’re not writing like Hemingway or whoever is deemed as the paragon of ideal writing, then you may as well give up.
What We Should Do When We Feel Our Writing Is Not Good Enough
But is that the end, though? Do we all curl into proverbial balls and weep until the feeling passes? Do you thrust your hands up at the sky and lament the gifts we’ve been given? Or is there another way?
If every creative person gave up when they felt they weren’t good enough, we wouldn’t have much of the art and other creative forms that we do.
It is because persons who’d been given a desire or a gift chose to persevere that we have them to use as standards in the first place.
I believe as Christian creatives we have another layer of resistance in this area of thinking we’re not good enough. When you decide to use your gifts for God, you put the enemy on notice.
Satan doesn’t want you to put words that encourage people to seek God out in the world. He doesn’t want you to teach people about the Creator and how much He loves us.
It means, therefore, that in this spiritual battle for our art, we need to put on the whole armor of God.
Affirmations When You Feel Your Writing Is Not Good Enough
Positive affirmations are a way we can replace the lies we believe with the truth of God’s Word. As Christian writers, our foundation of truth comes from the Bible.
I’d like to suggest some Bible-based affirmations to counteract the lie that we’re not good enough.
The affirmations I’m sharing were inspired by Scripture and I have referenced the verse that inspired it.
- The work I’m doing is what God has set aside for me to do. Ephesians 2:10
- My writing is good enough because nothing is impossible with God. Luke 1:37
- I will not be anxious about my writing. Matthew 6:34
- My writing is good enough because God is in the midst. Zephaniah 3:17
- I am not afraid to make my best effort to write this piece for God is with me. He will strengthen and help me. Isaiah 41:10
- My writing is good enough. I will not forsake the work of my hands. Psalm 138:8
- My writing may be imperfect, but God has plans for my writing. Jeremiah 29:11
I hope you found these suggestions helpful and encourage you to search the Scriptures for yourself as you seek to banish the lie that you’re not a good enough writer.