As a kindergartner sometimes I tagged along to my mom’s work as a hotel housekeeper. While my mom worked, I played in the recreation room. Her boss checked on me and always had something fun to play with or a story to share.
One day, in a burst of excitement, I shared something special that happened over the weekend with the supervisor. The words bounded from my mouth like a puppy ready to play in the morning.
The boss chuckled, “Whoa, motor mouth! Slow down!”
In a split second, my 5-year-old heart crumbled, and the lie that would follow me for the next 34 years was born: You’re too much.
This lie would sometimes change its costume—You’re not good enough. No one likes the unedited version of you. But its barb plunged deep into my heart and would threaten to pull me under again and again.
Believing lies can lead us into sin; in my case, I was tempted to mistrust who God created me to be and doubt His goodness.
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Before we can replace lies with Scripture, we must first identify the lie we believe more than the Bible. We can watch for symptoms in our lives of unbelief when we respond to situations with distress and hopelessness.
As we slow down to listen to our hearts, we can hear what that voice is whispering to our hearts. Perhaps this means journaling, talking to a friend, taking a walk, or sitting quietly in the Lord’s presence to uncover what lie has sunk its hook into our souls.
At the root of the lie, you’re too much, is the false belief that God is at fault for creating us the way we are. But when God created man and woman He didn’t say, “This is mediocre.” The book of Genesis tells us, “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).
God didn’t mess up when He made us. He created us to reflect aspects of His character (Genesis 1:27). He didn’t want us all to be the same. God showed His greatness in the unique way He made us in order to point others to Himself.
God is at work redeeming us. We all have areas in our lives to grow. But the way God designed each one of us was not a mistake. He wanted us to shine brightly for His glory. And we must trust that how He created us is indeed good—very good.
The second misbelief surrounding the lie, You’re too much, is doubting God’s goodness. The psalmist reminds us that “no good thing does [God] withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11). But when we feel rejected by others, struggle to find those who understand us, or wonder where God is in the midst of pain, this can be hard to believe.
When God doesn’t give us the gifts we expect, we may doubt His goodness. Or maybe push aside any questioning thoughts, but in the depths of our hearts, we aren’t sure how to rectify our own experience with Scripture.
The Lord knows how to give His children good gifts (Matthew 7:11). Sometimes it can feel like God is withholding good by not allowing us to possess certain personality traits our culture values.
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When I lived cross-culturally, my introverted nature meant I required more downtime than my extroverted peers. With my organizational skills, I created a schedule of when to visit which locals and spent downtime studying the language. Due to my consistency, I excelled in language learning and developed breadth and depth in my relationships.
When I look back on those years, I see how the Lord utilized my personality to draw me into deeper intimacy with Him and serve others. But in the midst of life, it wasn’t always clear. I had to trust God over my feelings.
The only thing that will truly satisfy our souls is God—and He gives us “good things” (Psalm 107:9). What the Lord offers will last forever.
When we try to replace this with far lesser things—preferences, personality traits, acceptance by others—we make idols out of things that will not last and are ever-changing. But when we keep our eyes fixed on God, our hearts are fully satisfied in the Faithful One who remains the same forever (Hebrews 13:8).
As we long to be known and accepted, we can rejoice that our Savior knows and accepts us. God doesn’t think we’re too much. He created us to reflect His image to the world around us for His glory. And the Lord is giving us the best gift of all—intimacy with Him that will never end.