Nothing’s Missing

“Nothing’s missing.”

This has been my reminder to myself for years. Whenever I’m tempted to believe a fundamental piece of me is missing, to feel that I will never be enough, I speak this truth over myself. “Nothing’s missing.”

These words have been so impactful I had them tattooed on my arm. Every day, I read them and remember I’m not, in fact, irredeemably deficient.

And yet, I still forget, still feel tempted to believe the lies of my unworthiness, still have to remind my soul of the truth. “Nothing’s missing.”

Why is it so hard to remember the truth about myself?

Acknowledging the False Narrative

While I believe some of the challenge is a hard-wired part of my personality, I also wonder how much of this tendency springs from the church.

I grew up in conservative evangelical culture that regularly reminded churchgoers of their total depravity and unworthiness. Yes, we all sin and need God’s grace. Without Christ, we are unworthy.

However, the New Testament exclusively refers to those who have put their faith in Jesus as saints, not sinners. Once we’re saved, we are whole, redeemed, and considered worthy in God’s eyes because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

So why, then, is Christian messaging more focused on who we are without Jesus rather than on who he’s inviting us to become? Where is the invitation to live as new creations?

The script has been flipped. Rather than sermons focusing on the magnanimous power of God’s grace that transforms messy broken people into worthy saints, we focus on the mess.

I think as humans, we tend to stick with what’s known and familiar—even when it’s uncomfortable or false. We’re more familiar with the idea of our deficiencies than we are with the truth that Christ makes us sufficient.

Rewriting the Script

Now, I’m not saying we should fail to acknowledge our humanity or discount the very real struggles of being human. We know from Scripture that lament is a spiritual discipline and that God desires our emotional vulnerability.

I am saying that maybe if we focused our energy on reminding people of their worth and purpose in Christ rather than their sin and brokenness without him, Christians living out their faith might look a lot different.

How much more could we live sacrificially for the sake of others if we weren’t so consumed with thinking about our depravity and how we’ve let God down?

How much more could I live out my own faith if my focus was on how I could serve instead of what I’m missing?

I believe there’s an invitation into greater faith and a closer walk with Christ when we shift our gaze from our mess and instead fixate on the One who makes all things new—including us. In him, “Nothing’s missing.”