"Good Enough"
Recently, I started working at a coffee shop here in Auburn!! I've really enjoyed getting to learn all of the ins and outs of this shop and getting to know the people who work there.
A week ago, they taught me how to do latte art.
Latte art.
That stuff that looks so stinkin' cool and I've always thought was simple.
It's not easy.
I have now gone in for an extra five hours simply pouring steamed milk over the espresso shot hoping for the best. I've changed techniques, taken millions of deep breaths, and spent most of those hours getting frustrated and discouraged.
Almost every time I have poured up until today, I have been told to pour slower, to pour faster, to pour higher, to pour lower, to steam my milk differently, to stop pouring and take a breath, or to just throw it down the sink and start over.
It's been a frustrating process for the people pleaser that I am.
So, I've learned a lot about myself in this process...
Today, I got my first decent pour, the pour that my boss deemed "good enough". It wasn't great, but the components were all correct. I had the perfect temperature of the milk, the perfect consistency of the milk, the shape of the art, and the right technique. It would just require doing it over and over and over again.
This has sparked a thought in my brain that has continued to grow throughout the day, so much so that I'm writing a blog post when I should be studying for my exam tomorrow (sorry mom!).
How often do I spend five hours making myself "good enough"?
I spend time shopping for clothes, working out, washing my face, picking out the perfect outfit, blow drying my hair, straightening my hair, fixing my hair, putting on makeup, asking friends what they think of the particular outfit, and then stepping out ready for the day.
I spend time making sure I am kind to people, making sure I am putting my best foot forward on social media and in life, making sure that I am getting great grades, making sure that I am studying in advance, making sure I don't miss assignments, making sure I'm pouring into my small groups at church, making sure I'm preparing for my freshmen and sophomores that I lead in a leadership program, making sure I'm relaying information to my assistant directors, making sure I am hanging out with friends, making sure that I am going to work, making sure that I am making people happy.
Is that what makes me "good enough"? Is that what makes you "good enough"?
NO.
I wish you could hear me scream that at you. I've had to remind myself of that all day today.
My identity in Christ has always been something I have struggled with, as many of you may know from my past blog posts. The Lord has been so faithful in constantly reminding me of Scripture to combat those thoughts that creep in and tell me I am not good enough.
I have something written in my journal from a year ago that I found the other day.
"You are His child forever, the Perfect Father's. He loves you unconditionally. The Father doesn't change His love for you based on how you perform, act, look, or speak. He loves you for who you are. Just as He made you, fearfully and wonderfully. Nothing you can do will make Him love you more or make Him love you less. He loves you as the sinner you are. Run. To. Him. He desires you to know Him more. He knows you completely, and loves you the same. Let Him love you. Love Him back. He will not fail you."
I've been reminded today that I am good enough in my Heavenly Father's eyes. He knows me fully and loves me still. I might spends hours making sure that I am "good enough" by the world's standards, but 1 Samuel 16:7 tells us that "the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart".
Am I spending more time on my outward appearance or my inward appearance? Some days, that question is hard for me to answer, and the answer sometimes hurts my heart.
With this all being said, I've been reminded of some fundamental truths today that I want to share with y'all (whoever has made it this far).
Ephesians 1:13-14 says "In him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory."
John 10:28 says "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand."
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."
2 Corinthians 5:17 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
Colossians 3:12-14 says "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. Above all these, put on love which binds everything together in perfect harmony."
1 Peter 1:3-5 says "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
1 Peter 2:9 says "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."
These verses remind me of so many truths about my identity in the Lord. The past is no longer holding me down, as I am a new creation. We cannot be taken away from this imperishable kingdom. We aren't good enough for Him, but He has made a way for us to be accepted into His Kingdom. We are accepted in His sight, though we are rejected by men. We are covered in Christ's blood, therefore our sin is washed away and we are righteous, dressed in HIS righteousness alone.
Praise the Lord for the way He speaks to us through the coffee pours! What a great reminder to be placing all of my identity and all of my value in what the Lord says, as He loves me unconditionally and He has chosen me to be in his own possession.
A week ago, they taught me how to do latte art.
Latte art.
That stuff that looks so stinkin' cool and I've always thought was simple.
It's not easy.
I have now gone in for an extra five hours simply pouring steamed milk over the espresso shot hoping for the best. I've changed techniques, taken millions of deep breaths, and spent most of those hours getting frustrated and discouraged.
Almost every time I have poured up until today, I have been told to pour slower, to pour faster, to pour higher, to pour lower, to steam my milk differently, to stop pouring and take a breath, or to just throw it down the sink and start over.
It's been a frustrating process for the people pleaser that I am.
So, I've learned a lot about myself in this process...
Today, I got my first decent pour, the pour that my boss deemed "good enough". It wasn't great, but the components were all correct. I had the perfect temperature of the milk, the perfect consistency of the milk, the shape of the art, and the right technique. It would just require doing it over and over and over again.
This has sparked a thought in my brain that has continued to grow throughout the day, so much so that I'm writing a blog post when I should be studying for my exam tomorrow (sorry mom!).
How often do I spend five hours making myself "good enough"?
I spend time shopping for clothes, working out, washing my face, picking out the perfect outfit, blow drying my hair, straightening my hair, fixing my hair, putting on makeup, asking friends what they think of the particular outfit, and then stepping out ready for the day.
I spend time making sure I am kind to people, making sure I am putting my best foot forward on social media and in life, making sure that I am getting great grades, making sure that I am studying in advance, making sure I don't miss assignments, making sure I'm pouring into my small groups at church, making sure I'm preparing for my freshmen and sophomores that I lead in a leadership program, making sure I'm relaying information to my assistant directors, making sure I am hanging out with friends, making sure that I am going to work, making sure that I am making people happy.
Is that what makes me "good enough"? Is that what makes you "good enough"?
NO.
I wish you could hear me scream that at you. I've had to remind myself of that all day today.
My identity in Christ has always been something I have struggled with, as many of you may know from my past blog posts. The Lord has been so faithful in constantly reminding me of Scripture to combat those thoughts that creep in and tell me I am not good enough.
I have something written in my journal from a year ago that I found the other day.
"You are His child forever, the Perfect Father's. He loves you unconditionally. The Father doesn't change His love for you based on how you perform, act, look, or speak. He loves you for who you are. Just as He made you, fearfully and wonderfully. Nothing you can do will make Him love you more or make Him love you less. He loves you as the sinner you are. Run. To. Him. He desires you to know Him more. He knows you completely, and loves you the same. Let Him love you. Love Him back. He will not fail you."
I've been reminded today that I am good enough in my Heavenly Father's eyes. He knows me fully and loves me still. I might spends hours making sure that I am "good enough" by the world's standards, but 1 Samuel 16:7 tells us that "the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart".
Am I spending more time on my outward appearance or my inward appearance? Some days, that question is hard for me to answer, and the answer sometimes hurts my heart.
With this all being said, I've been reminded of some fundamental truths today that I want to share with y'all (whoever has made it this far).
Ephesians 1:13-14 says "In him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory."
John 10:28 says "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand."
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."
2 Corinthians 5:17 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
Colossians 3:12-14 says "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. Above all these, put on love which binds everything together in perfect harmony."
1 Peter 1:3-5 says "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
1 Peter 2:9 says "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."
These verses remind me of so many truths about my identity in the Lord. The past is no longer holding me down, as I am a new creation. We cannot be taken away from this imperishable kingdom. We aren't good enough for Him, but He has made a way for us to be accepted into His Kingdom. We are accepted in His sight, though we are rejected by men. We are covered in Christ's blood, therefore our sin is washed away and we are righteous, dressed in HIS righteousness alone.
Praise the Lord for the way He speaks to us through the coffee pours! What a great reminder to be placing all of my identity and all of my value in what the Lord says, as He loves me unconditionally and He has chosen me to be in his own possession.
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