Show up with what you have – that’s more than enough

I am a lover of all things new… even when I don’t need them.

There’s just something about buying that fresh new planner. The feeling of pulling the plastic off a brand new notebook that you swear is going to hold all your amazing checklists, dreams and to-do lists for the new year. The smell of a new Bible as you declare this will be the thing to bring you back to that rhythm with God. We can easily trap ourselves into thinking that in order to start something or to start over, we need something new to initiate the process.

We need something from the store.

We need something we saw on Instagram.

We need something we don’t have yet.

Because it cannot possibly already be in our wheelhouse.

If you are the type of person who instantly buys whatever new tool the internet promises will change your life then I stand with you in solidarity.

No need to be embarrassed. I am the owner of so many products that promised to change my life. I’ve bought the programs. I’ve paid for the subscriptions (sorry, dear husband). I’ve got the kitchen appliances. And I think I’ve invested just enough in the self-improvement arena to be able to say confidently: you don’t need to add another new thing to your life to change it.

You don’t need another planner.

You don’t need to enrol in another program.

You don’t need a new set of supplements or a new Bible to draw you closer to God.

If your eyes are always on the thing you need to get you from point A to B then I fear the journey will never actually…well… start.

In the Gospel of John, there is a part where Jesus feeds a crowd of 5,000.

Before performing the miracle, Jesus asks the disciples, “Where can we get food for these people?” He already knows the answer and what is to come, but He tests them – to see if their belief in him has strengthened a bit since spending more time with Him.

Philip, the disciple is immediately a downer (like me)  and tells Jesus that 200 pieces of silver will not feed this crowd. Not even a little bit.

But Andrew, another disciple, has a brighter and sort of naive outlook. He says to Jesus, “Well, there is a little kid here who has some fish sandwiches. Can we work with that?”

And Jesus gets to work.

It’s a miracle that so much could come from so little but here’s the truth encouraging me this Thursday: I only need to show up with what I already have for God to move and make a difference in my life.

With Jesus, I’m already equipped. With Jesus, I’m already ready. With Jesus, I’m already enough. Just as I am.

That thinking alone is the new thing.

A new mindset can replace the need for a journal or a new set of Tupperware or a new gadget.

As I closed my Bible, I wrote these words into my journal to pump me up for the day: I have everything I need to start today.

As long as you are trapped thinking you need x, y, and z to be successful then the starting line will continue to feel farther and farther away. The goal will always be abstract. The novel will be left unwritten. The workouts won’t happen. The healthy meals will cease to show up.

We are almost at the end of January 2022 and it has never been easier to start something.

Google is free. Pinterest is loaded up with recipes that are healthy choices for your family. Starting a blog is completely free. Opening a word document and spending 15 minutes typing out thoughts that could be the start of the book is free. There is literally nothing holding you back from putting your thinking cap on and beginning to research.

I am not saying you should never buy something new again or stop investing in courses or classes that could improve your skillset. I’m just suggesting a pause. A moment to breathe. A chance to ask yourself, “Do I really need this thing? Or can I wait 30 days and check back in later?”

Investing in your craft or your education or your path to success is a real thing but it cannot be the main driver. The main driver is already within you. It’s the conviction you have to either hop out of bed and begin or put off the dream for another day. You either think you have what you need to get started or you rush to Amazon and waste the time you could have used to just sit down in the chair for 20 minutes and get started.

We want to see things unfold for you this year.

We want you to know in the deep of you that God has you and He knows what you want to work towards but you have to offer it up. You have to be brave enough to say, “I don’t have a fancy new planner that I will likely never fill but I’ve got fish & bread. Can we work with that?”

God will never hesitate with you. He will always take your offering.

But look closer. Look at what Jesus specifically does in the story. He takes the little kid’s lunch, makes the people sit down in the green grass for a picnic but before he multiplies the meal, He gives thanks for what exists. He gives thanks for the thing that other people would scoff at and say, “That’s not enough to make a difference.”

Today is a chance to take whatever you have in your belt and offer it up to Jesus. It’s a chance to say thank you for what you already have, before the miracle comes.

With Jesus, you are already equipped.

With Jesus, you are already ready.

With Jesus, you are already enough.

Just as you are.

Bring God the fish sandwiches and see what He will do with them.