Adequacy/Inadequacy
“Continually we find ourselves blindsided by reality. Every new morning offers another chance to admit our inadequacy—once again for this new day, a chance to accept the bewildering ecstasy of God’s grace. Why is it so difficult to accept such a love when His Grace is the one gift that can penetrate the messy corners of our worlds?” (Bonnie Keen)
“Paul asks “who is adequate” for the task of representing Christ? Our adequacy is always from God (1 Corinthians 15:10; 2 Corinthians 3:5)...He has given us the Holy Spirit to enable us to speak with Christ’s power. He keeps his eye on us, protecting us as we work for him. As we realize that God has equipped us, we can overcome our feelings of inadequacy.” (Life Application Study Bible, 2 Corinthians 2:16-17)
“If we are honest with ourselves, we all feel like imposters at times, feeling like we will be exposed at any moment to others as inadequate as we feel inside. The best way to get past this negative sense of self, or in some cases too much of a positive sense of self, is to focus on Christ. He accepts all of our inadequacies and longs to be in relationship with us and, in a good way, wants to use us for His purposes which are also always in our best interests whether we realize it nor not.” (Sacramental Living Blog)
“John the Baptist said he was not even worthy to be Christ’s slave. But according to Luke 7:28, Jesus said that John was the greatest of all prophets. If such a great person felt inadequate even to be Christ’s slave, how much more should we lay aside our pride to serve Christ! When we truly understand who Christ is, our pride and self-importance melt away.” (Life Application Study Bible, John 1:27)
“Prayer allows us to communicate with Him what is overwhelming us and in what areas we are feeling inadequate. It offers us the opportunity to be still before God. It allows us to lift others up before Him, reminding us that the world is beyond us and our personal (or familial) stresses. Prayer will also help us to better see what work He has for us to do.” (Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese)