Jesus is enough.

It is said that when we are faced with a “titanic ship” moment in our lives, that is when we begin to truly question our worldview. It is what we believe and why we believe that determines how we begin to think, embrace, and move forward with whatever is thrown our way. For many, it may be the death of a loved one. For others, this happens when the love of our lives does something unbearable. For some, this is the result of not getting that job that you thought was written for you. It’s 2022, I do not need to explain hardship to anyone. it’s been at least a couple of crummy years.

But here is where I begin to disagree, I do not think it takes a catastrophe to force you to question your worldview. I think even the smaller moments of stress, doubt, wonder, and sadness can lead to similar results. As I am going through a time that is filled with struggle, the words of Eliza Hamilton, “That would be enough” is probably cheesy upon reading, but that is true transparency for you. What would be enough?

To continue on this path of honesty, I am a nerd for musicals. I may be terrible at listening to the lyrics that play on the radio, but I can surely follow musicals. My husband and I have been watching a handful of them lately including Hamilton, Tick Tick BOOM!, and Rent and unfortunately that means for the next several weeks, I will be listening to these albums on repeat…even while at the gym.

Beautifully timed as I am dealing with sadness, I find myself singing along to these tunes. The whole picture is as dramatic as it seems, as I question Real Life, sing about how Johnny Can’t Decide and fix 3D printers to It’s Quiet Uptown. I’ve been distracted performing simple tasks at work. When I say I’ll do the dishes by 20:00 at the latest, I find myself finally mustering barely enough energy to make it to the sink by 19:59. I either just finished crying, am crying, or doing my best not to cry. That is what these last few days have been like and I look up to God to say this simple prayer, “God this hurts. Please help me.” Can you relate? Maybe you are also going through your own trials this early on into the year.

I find that prayer interesting for several reasons but mostly because I am asking for help but I’m not being specific. Now I’ll admit, part of the reason why I lack specificity is that it takes a lot out of me. To those who text me, that’s probably not surprising as it has taken me close to a week to respond to you. I’m sorry. The other reason why I am not specific is that I do not really know what I want. It all just hurts. All I know is that I need Jesus. Only Jesus is enough.

Now that is a very “church-y” thing to say but truly I share with you that it is in these times of the unexplainable where you see if the Christian stands by this claim. Everything ultimately comes down to the individual’s worldview.

As I am in a mess of sadness, I tell you that Jesus is enough. As I am in emotional pain, I tell you that Jesus is enough. As I wish all of this suffering could stop, I tell you that Jesus is enough. Everything in this life is uncertain. You and I both know how easy it is for the switch to flip, for everything uncontrollable to become chaotic. The only piece of certainty the Christian has is what the Bible shares. It gives us hope. It gives me hope.

The Bible describes Jesus in this way: He is truth, generosity, patience, love, forgiveness, kindness, gentleness, and more. The Christian has hope because no matter what, the best is always yet to come for those who believe Jesus is who He claimed to be. Jesus claimed to be Lord. This is why Jesus is enough. I know I need Jesus because Jesus is forever for me and if that is the case, who cares what comes my way? I am confident that whatever it is, God is with me. He is fighting for me. He loves me unconditionally.

Your worldview matters and I often think about how I would view my life and the lives of others if I did not believe in Jesus. It would be easy for me to see what was happening and proclaim that I have bad luck. I would think that I am fighting all of this on my own and that no one understands. I would do everything I can to numb the pain, erase the pain, or pretend that the pain is not there. I would do everything under the sun to push through instead of relaxing, to work longer hours instead of asking for prayers, to hope that one day the universe decides that I had enough hardship instead of having certainty that God loves me and calls me by my name.

By the time this is posted, know that these last few days and the next few weeks will be excruciating. I have probably written more of this while crying than not. Though I trust who God is, I still have doubts. Though I know that one day all pain and suffering will be forever defeated by Jesus, I still wish that day was yesterday. I am deeply hurting even though I know that God is for me. My friend who is also going through their own trials, you’re not alone. I understand your pain, frustration, and anger with the world. I get that it takes everything in you to even get dressed. I wore the same shirt for three days because I had no motivation to get up whatsoever. My friend, I even understand if suffering is the very reason why you are so skeptical of God. I get it.

In my prayers, I ask that Jesus helps me, but even if He does not help me in the way I want to be helped, I can still be certain that He loves me. He loves me because the Bible tells me so. Do you see how that works? This is one of the reasons why the Christian continuously reads and re-reads the Bible, so we can be filled with truth and remember who God is. I ask God to take away the pain, but even if He does not, I can be sure that God is still for me. Even when it stings, I know that all things will come together for His Kingdom. Even as I weep, I know that God loves me. Even when it does not seem like the pain will not stop, I know that God is greater than the best earthy dad there is. This life can be brutal, I get it completely. But even if I hurt for the rest of my life, the best is always yet to come for the Christian. That is why my hope is in Jesus. The Savior of the world is more than enough.

My friend, who does not know of this Jesus, can I offer you my worldview? I’ve tried to live my life in a way that does not rely on God and I found it to be depressing. There is no purpose to my life according to naturalism, but would you be willing to try out my worldview? I’ll be honest, the Christian worldview does not abolish all pain or negative emotions (yet), but it offers certainty. You matter. Your life matters. You have a purpose. You are loved eternally. This is all according to God. Listen, no matter what you decide to trust, I can guarantee you will face hardship, but even in the worst storms of your life, there is beauty through the lens of a Christian. Following Jesus offers hope. Jesus is enough. Do not be afraid to see what the Christian God is capable of but be warned, Jesus might just rock your world in the best way possible. Jesus is enough.