When I realize it’s time to apply for a new job, it’s exciting to consider what may happen in the next chapter. But, I also feel a bit of anxiety about the interview process. Questions go through my mind… lots of questions at times, but they all seem to boil down to one: am I enough?
The scriptures for this week were an important reminder as I thought about how I’m tempted to give in to the fear and anxiety that is characteristic of forgetting Jesus’ emphatic presence in this current time and eternally. I must remember that he said:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Abiding in him gives me an identity that holds regardless of people accepting or rejecting me, or anything else that happens to me in this life. Because of his love, I will always be enough.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer eloquently addressed the question “am I enough?” in his candid poem, “Who Am I?” Knowing he is admired for his seemingly calm and brave demeanor during his imprisonment and impending execution by the Nazis, he catalogs his internal turmoil about whether those observing him witness his true self. In the end, he realizes these concerns are overwhelmed in the remembrance of his belonging to God, the unchanging source of his identity forever.
You can read “Who Am I?” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer at renovare.org/articles/who-am-i