How Good Is Good Enough?

I used to ask myself that question all the time. Nobody’s perfect, I get that, but how close can I get before I am acceptable? When will God finally say, “Well done, good and faithful servant?” When will people finally let me into their inner circle and let me be their friend? How good is good enough?

Guys, that’s a hard question to answer. And for people, honestly there really isn’t an answer to give. Some people won’t accept you. Some people will. Some people love and trust when you first meet, some don’t. There are people who will never let you in, never trust you, never like you. There are others who will stick by you no matter how badly you mess up and continue to love you. We really don’t have any control over what other people do to us. All we can control is our attitude toward them and how hard we work to invest in them. You might have heard the phrase, “Have courage and be kind” from the live action Cinderella movie. It took me a while, but I finally understand what they mean. Be kind to everyone, and have the courage to continue to be kind even when others won’t accept that kindness. When it comes to people, that’s really all we can do.

For God, it’s a bit easier. Well, the answer is easier to come up with. It’s probably even more difficult to deal with, though.

The answer is, we’re not good enough. We aren’t good enough to make it to Heaven when we die and have God open the doors wide for us. We aren’t good enough now, and we can’t make ourselves good enough. Why? Because we have sin in our lives. Sin is corruptible, it has infiltrated every part of our lives. We are separated from God because of it. Think of it in terms of darkness and light. Light and darkness can’t mix, right? Where there’s light, there’s light. Shadows form, but there’s a hard line between the darkness and the light. There’s no mixing. It’s the same with God. He is the light, and He can’t mix with sin. That’s what holy means. He’s set apart, separated from the darkness. Heaven is also full of light, no darkness can be allowed in. Because of even just an ounce of sin in our lives, we are unable to get into Heaven. Darkness can’t mix with the light.

So, what then? We have sin, we can’t make it to Heaven. What now? We know we can’t make ourselves perfect. We can’t cover the sin or make up for it. What hope do we have?

Thankfully, God knew what our situation would be. He foresaw the struggle and knew something had to be done. That’s the significance of God sending His Son, Jesus. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life. He was fully light. He was the only One ever who actually deserved Heaven, who could enter without letting darkness in. But that wasn’t His goal. He didn’t want Heaven, not without us. So, he paid the price for us. When He died, He took your sin, all of it. Every sin you have committed in your past, the sins you’re committing now, and every sin you will commit in your future. He took it all on Himself and died. He paid the price for your sin. It’s finished, paid in full. You now have the chance, because of what He did, to enter Heaven. Jesus can make you good enough. All you have to do is accept it.

When you do, when you admit your sin and believe that Jesus died for you, and accept the free gift, you don’t have to worry about it anymore! Your sins are gone! Jesus has set you free from all the striving to be perfect, all the attempts to be enough. You are enough. Jesus has made you enough. When you accept that gift, you are made new. All of your sins are washed away, and you’re a new creature. Now, you have something better to live for. You don’t have to worry to be perfect or to work hard enough. Now, it’s all about what Jesus asks of you each and every day. And what does he ask? He asks for you to love Him and love everyone around you. Go out of your way to be courageously kind to everyone you meet. When people are mean to you, He wants you to serve them. When people yell at you, He wants you to pray for them. It’s no longer about you. It’s all about others.

So, how good is good enough? The answer is: Jesus. Jesus has made you good enough. Now you must ask a different question: What does God have in store for me today?