We Are Enough Now
The silence. That’s what I remember most. The shock and the silence. Also the urge to throw up. The freaking out. The wanting to scream in shock, but not being able to, as it was an October night, and I was in a class with people who did not realize that Gordon Hayward had just broken his foot, and that the coming basketball year had just changed drastically.
The silence. That’s what sticks out. In that silence there was pain; questions; worry; hopelessness. There was for sure a “Why me?!” as well as a collective “What’s going to happen to us?” from the rest of the team and audience. It was awful. I felt sick.
It’s all people talked about. It's STILL all people want to talk about. I couldn’t get away from it. We lost in a crazy weird first game of the season that left us dejected, and made most people say, “Well, better luck next year!” It was awful. People wrote us off right after that injury. And we could have been. We could have given up, and waited patiently for the following year, when our team would be healthy and strong to get back and show people what we were made of; that we were a force to be reckoned with.
BUT
What if, instead of taking the approach that next year would be better, we went on to win 16 games in a row with a bunch of rookies? And then, what if another All-Star got taken out of the game in March, and what if we lost 4 players before the playoffs? What if, even after the terrible month that was March, we continued to end the season as the 2nd seed in the East? What if, instead of getting destroyed in the first round of playoffs, we pushed through, and proved that we were worth more than what everyone said we were? What if all those trades last year left us with a roster of fighters – of raw talent who could be molded, and were there to prove their worth? What if the odds told us we would lose, but we JUST KEPT WINNING?
What if all those rookies were able to play more minutes and gain more experience because of each injury? What if they had to learn to push and fight at an early age in their career? What if that made them more valuable in the long run? What if they got to shine in ways they never knew were possible because of those injuries? What if they kept proving their worth, over and over again?
I’m referencing the Celtics 2017-2018 season, of course. It was a crazy roller coaster year of emotions. Of major highs, but also major lows. We had it all, from the roster rebuild to a million injuries. Every time we lost a player or a game we’d hear the same thing – “better luck next year!”
Next year.
Next year.
Next year.
It kept ringing in my heart. We weren’t good enough. We wouldn’t be good enough with where we were and who we had on our team. Our best just wasn’t enough.
Over and over.
The same thing.
Every time.
How often are we told we aren't good enough? In our job? In our looks? In our relationships? In any aspect of our life? Gosh. I feel like I am CONSTANTLY telling myself I'm not enough. I'm not fast enough; smart enough; short enough; skinny enough.... so many "not enough" moments. This past year I have found myself in the Celtics shoes so many times. Constantly feeling "not enough". It kind of started a year ago, when I quit working in the temple. I really struggled with that. I felt like I wasn't enough anymore. What was wrong with me? Was I not good enough anymore? Was I not close enough to the Lord? Was I not balancing everything in my life enough? What wasn't I doing enough of to have to give up my favorite 6 hours of the week?
This past year has made me realize that the Lord gives us opportunities to grow BECAUSE of our imperfections. Not in spite of them. He knows we're going to have injuries. He knows we're going to have losses. He knows we are going to have the odds stacked against us. BUT, He also knows what we are capable of. He knows we can do hard things. He knows we have greatness in us. He knows we are hard workers. He knows we want that happy ending - to live with Him forever. He knows what will help us become the best person we can be. I love this scripture:
One of the coolest things about this basketball season was getting to see so many of the players who would have normally warmed the bench get to play and excel BECAUSE of those injuries that everyone saw as so detrimental to our team! How often in life do we see our imperfection and count ourselves out - we're "not enough", as some would say. We figure others could do it better, and therefore we don't try. What if instead of giving up, we pushed forward? What if we had the help of those around us - our friends, family, coworkers - who told us to keep trying? Readers, we are stronger than we think. Just because we have weaknesses does not mean that our strengths should be discredited.
This is one of my favorite quotes:
Readers, don't let the world tell you that you aren't enough. Don't settle for being the best friend in your own life. Be the leading lady/man!
The odds can be stacked against us; the world can count us out; our friends may fall or get lost; we can have those bad days - or weeks - when everything we are trying isn't working. We can have silence filled with our pain and hopelessness; we can have all of that. BUT, we can also have the perseverance, and the HOPE. We can have the confidence in our abilities, and the help that is around us. We can look forward to the future with faith, never doubting, even when all those around us doubt. We can be a force to be reckoned with. We don't need to wait until next year to prove our worth. We are enough now.
The silence. That’s what sticks out. In that silence there was pain; questions; worry; hopelessness. There was for sure a “Why me?!” as well as a collective “What’s going to happen to us?” from the rest of the team and audience. It was awful. I felt sick.
It’s all people talked about. It's STILL all people want to talk about. I couldn’t get away from it. We lost in a crazy weird first game of the season that left us dejected, and made most people say, “Well, better luck next year!” It was awful. People wrote us off right after that injury. And we could have been. We could have given up, and waited patiently for the following year, when our team would be healthy and strong to get back and show people what we were made of; that we were a force to be reckoned with.
BUT
What if, instead of taking the approach that next year would be better, we went on to win 16 games in a row with a bunch of rookies? And then, what if another All-Star got taken out of the game in March, and what if we lost 4 players before the playoffs? What if, even after the terrible month that was March, we continued to end the season as the 2nd seed in the East? What if, instead of getting destroyed in the first round of playoffs, we pushed through, and proved that we were worth more than what everyone said we were? What if all those trades last year left us with a roster of fighters – of raw talent who could be molded, and were there to prove their worth? What if the odds told us we would lose, but we JUST KEPT WINNING?
What if all those rookies were able to play more minutes and gain more experience because of each injury? What if they had to learn to push and fight at an early age in their career? What if that made them more valuable in the long run? What if they got to shine in ways they never knew were possible because of those injuries? What if they kept proving their worth, over and over again?
Celebrating the Celtics win against the Jazz a few months ago
I’m referencing the Celtics 2017-2018 season, of course. It was a crazy roller coaster year of emotions. Of major highs, but also major lows. We had it all, from the roster rebuild to a million injuries. Every time we lost a player or a game we’d hear the same thing – “better luck next year!”
Next year.
Next year.
Next year.
It kept ringing in my heart. We weren’t good enough. We wouldn’t be good enough with where we were and who we had on our team. Our best just wasn’t enough.
Over and over.
The same thing.
Every time.
How often are we told we aren't good enough? In our job? In our looks? In our relationships? In any aspect of our life? Gosh. I feel like I am CONSTANTLY telling myself I'm not enough. I'm not fast enough; smart enough; short enough; skinny enough.... so many "not enough" moments. This past year I have found myself in the Celtics shoes so many times. Constantly feeling "not enough". It kind of started a year ago, when I quit working in the temple. I really struggled with that. I felt like I wasn't enough anymore. What was wrong with me? Was I not good enough anymore? Was I not close enough to the Lord? Was I not balancing everything in my life enough? What wasn't I doing enough of to have to give up my favorite 6 hours of the week?
This past year has made me realize that the Lord gives us opportunities to grow BECAUSE of our imperfections. Not in spite of them. He knows we're going to have injuries. He knows we're going to have losses. He knows we are going to have the odds stacked against us. BUT, He also knows what we are capable of. He knows we can do hard things. He knows we have greatness in us. He knows we are hard workers. He knows we want that happy ending - to live with Him forever. He knows what will help us become the best person we can be. I love this scripture:
"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."I just wrote a blog about my experience training for and running a half marathon a few weeks ago, and this scripture is what kept running through my mind as I was out on that race course, hurting. The Lord gave us weaknesses. He wants us to grow, but we couldn't do that without weaknesses. However, along with those weaknesses, He has given us spiritual gifts. He's given us STRENGTHS! The Lord knows what tools we need to make decisions and to move forward in our lives, and those include both our strengths AND our weaknesses.
One of the coolest things about this basketball season was getting to see so many of the players who would have normally warmed the bench get to play and excel BECAUSE of those injuries that everyone saw as so detrimental to our team! How often in life do we see our imperfection and count ourselves out - we're "not enough", as some would say. We figure others could do it better, and therefore we don't try. What if instead of giving up, we pushed forward? What if we had the help of those around us - our friends, family, coworkers - who told us to keep trying? Readers, we are stronger than we think. Just because we have weaknesses does not mean that our strengths should be discredited.
This is one of my favorite quotes:
The odds can be stacked against us; the world can count us out; our friends may fall or get lost; we can have those bad days - or weeks - when everything we are trying isn't working. We can have silence filled with our pain and hopelessness; we can have all of that. BUT, we can also have the perseverance, and the HOPE. We can have the confidence in our abilities, and the help that is around us. We can look forward to the future with faith, never doubting, even when all those around us doubt. We can be a force to be reckoned with. We don't need to wait until next year to prove our worth. We are enough now.
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