This week, as part of our Practice of Witness, we heard from Jan Elkins.
Jan shared a deeply personal story of what it looked like to move from striving to receiving, from self-effort to dependence, and from trying to be enough to discovering that Jesus is enough.
After encountering the presence of God in a fresh way early in her marriage, Jan found herself determined to become more loving, more patient, more joyful, and more like Jesus. But after months of trying harder and working harder, she found herself exhausted and frustrated.
Then Jesus interrupted her striving with a simple question:
“Am I enough?”
That question became a turning point. Instead of spending her life trying to become enough for God, Jan began learning to receive from the One who already was. What followed was a lifelong journey of exchanging self-reliance for grace, performance for relationship, and shame for mercy.
One of the most powerful reminders from Jan’s story was that sight is a gift. The places where we see our weakness, failure, fear, or inadequacy are not places for condemnation. They become invitations to experience the mercy and sufficiency of God.
As she shared: “The weaker I get, the stronger I become.”
Her story reminds us that the Christian life is not ultimately about trying harder. It is about learning to receive more fully.
This week, may we hear the invitation again: You do not have to be enough. Jesus already is.
Responses