Am I good enough?

I was thinking yesterday about someone I knew and the nature of our relationship, and I began to think about in general how I perceived the world has and continues to view me. In doing this, I came to realize a fundamental issue that has defined all the relationships I have had in my life, which could be summed up simply as "Am I good enough?".

The truth is that in general I desire to please others, usually before myself. While this is an admirable trait at times, it can also limit what one gets out of a relationship when you tend to do only what others want, thus denying yourself joy and pleasure from the friendship.

Thus, I feel like a good portion of the reason I am always trying to please others is that I do not feel adequate or "up to par" with them and feel I need to earn their ever elusive approval. This way of thinking has caused me much misery as I try to meet people's implicit or explicit expectations, which are sometimes good things to strive for and expectations held in good faith, but end up leaving me feeling inadequate and confident. While some relationships are worse than others in this regard, its hard to truly be open and honest and comfortable with someone you forever feel you must please to be worthy of their presence.

So I guess this is where God comes in. I think God is in one sense an entity that cannot be satisfied completely ever by us, in that he expects perfection, which we clearly cannot deliver, so our whole lives are simply failing less as opposed to succeeding in fulfilling His will. But at the same time He tells us we are good enough in that through the redeeming blood of Christ we have the burden of our sins removed and being made part of the body of Christ, saving us from death. If God never abandons us and blesses us with His grace and mercy then surely despite our sin and failing He must think we are good enough to be given salvation through His only Son?  Not that God does not desire us to become more holy, nor that in our love and devotion we should we not strive to act more according to His will, but that surely no act on our part will removed His saving grace (and His acceptance of us) once we have been saved.

Therefore, in all the moments of our lives, be it the quiet moment of pondering as you fall to sleep, before an important test, talking to a friend or whatever you might do, you can trust that God feels you are enough. For surely if Christ deems your salvation through Him is acceptable, even after the price he paid to make it happen then surely you are good enough, failings and all.