"I just want to be okay."
"Are you okay?"
"I'm okay."
"Okay."
To be honest, I'm tired of the word "okay." I'm tired of seeking to just be "okay" in life, but that's all our culture excepts us to be, if that. Check out all of the articles on Odyssey on how girls are becoming okay with not being okay. Something is missing here.
I recently fractured my foot. That's not an okay circumstance by any means, and I struggle with it. I struggle with not dancing. I struggle with worry and frustration and anxiety and loneliness. I struggle to put on my one shoe for goodness sake!
People ask me every day if I'm okay. At first I couldn't answer them affirmatively. My soul felt safe in the hands of God, and I trusted Him more than my mind knew, but I struggled.
Then I realized just how okay I am in Christ. I realized that He is enough. Even if I can never dance again (that's not a concern, by the way), He is ENOUGH.
But God showed me something that BLEW. MY. SOUL.
Listen up, folks, 'cause it could change your soul too.
God doesn't just make us okay.
He isn't only enough for us.
HE MAKES US GREAT.
HE IS MORE THAN ENOUGH.
Oh, I'm about to cry right now thinking about the immeasurable grace of the gift of God. Yet we try to sum it up in the words okay or enough. We try to contain the presence of God into something that we can understand and measure.
For we can't imagine what it would be like to be great. After all, we are so sinful and weak and small. We get scared of a broken foot and break down crying. Regularly. We can't manage to even be okay, so why would we expect to be great?
For we can't imagine what it would be like to be great. After all, we are so sinful and weak and small. We get scared of a broken foot and break down crying. Regularly. We can't manage to even be okay, so why would we expect to be great?
Good thing God works on a different level than us.
"But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!... For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace reign in life through that one man, Jesus Christ."
Romans 5:15, 17, emphasis mine
Romans 5:15, 17, emphasis mine
How much more.
How much more.
Are we living the how much more life? Or are we simply seeking to get by, to be okay?
There are points in our lives when seeking to be okay is enough of a battle for our souls. I had to fight to get to a place where I was okay when I fractured my foot. I am not denying that there are times when the knowledge that God is enough for us is all that we can handle.
But do we want to stay in the okay place forever? Do we not want to taste the immeasurable greatness and glory of God? What is waiting for us on the other side of "okay?" What will we find when we beckon the Spirit of God to not simply be enough for us but to overflow in us?
I don't have an answer for you, not yet. But I'm tired of staying in an okay place, not when God offers to us (at great cost) the much more. So I'm praying to the Holy Spirit. I'm leaning into the gift of grace knowing that there is so much more out there than I can imagine.
Will you live the much more life with me?
Princess Hannah
How much more.
Are we living the how much more life? Or are we simply seeking to get by, to be okay?
There are points in our lives when seeking to be okay is enough of a battle for our souls. I had to fight to get to a place where I was okay when I fractured my foot. I am not denying that there are times when the knowledge that God is enough for us is all that we can handle.
But do we want to stay in the okay place forever? Do we not want to taste the immeasurable greatness and glory of God? What is waiting for us on the other side of "okay?" What will we find when we beckon the Spirit of God to not simply be enough for us but to overflow in us?
I don't have an answer for you, not yet. But I'm tired of staying in an okay place, not when God offers to us (at great cost) the much more. So I'm praying to the Holy Spirit. I'm leaning into the gift of grace knowing that there is so much more out there than I can imagine.
Will you live the much more life with me?
Princess Hannah
Great points. I'll be praying for your foot and hope you get better soon :)
ReplyDeleteEllie
www.uniquelyyou1.blogspot.com
Thank you so much!!! It is feeling much better!
DeleteHANNAH.
ReplyDeleteI love this so, so much. I'm so sick of okay, in complete honesty. The fact that God is enough is really just so relieving, because we certainly can't do it. There is such freedom in that. Thank you so much for this beautiful reminder, my sweet sister in Christ. Praying for you and your foot:)
YOU ARE SO RIGHT!!!! There is incredible freedom when it is not about us. Thank YOU for this reminder. And thank you for your prayers.
Deletewow, this reminded me a lot of a poem that I recently posted! http://twilighttodawn.blogspot.com/2017/02/its-okay-to-be-okay.html
ReplyDeletegreat post!
Wow! I love how our posts complemented each other! Your post was beautiful!!!!
Delete"Yet we try to sum it up in the words okay or enough. We try to contain the presence of God into something that we can understand and measure." <--- yes! I loved this post so much! These are always great reminders, and I hope you find healing for your foot goes quickly and smoothly.
ReplyDeleteThank you! The Spirit really worked in my soul on this subject.
DeleteAnd the foot is healing well! I'm quite excited about its progress, actually.
Yes! I really liked this! We can be so much more than okay with Jesus.(=
ReplyDeleteAmen, sister!!!
DeleteGirl this was awesome. I have been wrestling with the same thing lately (minus the fractured foot! That os awful!) Everything has just felt...mmmeh lately. Going through the motions. Which is ridiculous because we are sooo blessed to have God in our lives. Keep me posted. We will figure out theses okay blues eventually!
ReplyDeleteI completely understand you! We can get so used to the incredible grace of God that we forget to marvel at our blessings and get worn down by normality and forgetfulness. Let us keep reminding each other of God's grace to us!
DeleteSo happy I finally had time to read this! I am sure there is more than being just okay God wants more for us! This post got me thinking about so many things!
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited that you are thinking about these things! These thoughts that I've posted were years in the making.
DeleteYes! It's the knowing with our heads that God can do immeasurably more, but settling in our lives and our hearts. He came to give us abundant life but so often I feel like I'm living for less....I'm on this journey with you! I'm not sure how to make the crossover from an "okay" life to fully taking hold of the life Jesus has given us in the Spirit, but I endeavor to learn! :) Hope your foot is healing up!
ReplyDeleteErin, this comment is EXACTLY what I'm thinking about.
Delete"He came to give us abundant life but so often I feel like I'm living for less."
Let us not give up, sister.
DUDE. I loved this <3 This is something that I haven't really thought about...but wow. Recently I've been struggling with knowing and accepting the fact that I am beautiful in God's eyes. It doesn't matter what the world thinks...but only God's opinion counts. It's so easy to say--but believing it is a whole different story! This post came at a really good time, Hannah <3 Thank you for inspiring to live beyond okay.
ReplyDeleteALSO I HOPE YOUR FOOT HEALS SOON!
THAT IS SO HARD. I've been there so many times. I'm so glad that these words helped.
DeleteGod is able. He will never fail.
I just found your blog and I love it!!
ReplyDeleteWhy thank you, Anne!
Delete