I’m working on a huge project right now. 

I’m the managing editor for Fantastical Summer, a collection of summer-themed magical realism short stories from different authors.

It will be released in May 2025 and for the next two weeks, submissions are open. Writers of all sorts can submit for a chance to be featured in the anthology. 

My job is to answer questions, but even more importantly, to spread the news.

I want to encourage authors to take the leap, submit, and not miss their chance to be part of this great project.

But I feel like I’m failing. The supervising editor called me into his office this week to tell me I’m not doing enough.

Which is fair. I’d been juggling other projects and hadn’t gotten any new content out.

But it’s hard to hear. 

I’m working through part of lunch and then until 5 PM almost every day. I don’t have more time.

If I focus completely on Fantastical Summer (which I’m supposed to be doing), I’ll drop so many other projects that I have no earthly clue how I can ever catch up on later.

It’s not like things will slow down after submissions close. That’s when the real work begins. It’s also when unrelated new initiatives I’m partly responsible for will start. 

I can’t quit because this is where God’s called me to be and what He’s called me to do. So I feel trapped in a corner. I’m doing my absolute best. 

But it’s not enough.  

Literally while writing this article, I started crying. Even though I was alone, I said “it’s fine, I’m fine” out loud.

I definitely sound like someone who should be giving you advice, right? (eyeroll)

I probably sound overwhelmed, stressed, and paralyzed. Because that’s where I’m at. But I also sound like someone dedicated to asking a vital question about every single aspect of life.

WHAT DOES GOD SAY?

What does God say? That’s my question. That’s my focus. That’s what I’m trying to answer about every single little part of being human. What does God say about it?

What does God say when we feel like we’re not enough?

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matt 5:48

This verse made no sense to me for a long time. I used it to fuel my perfectionism, which just burnt me out.

But what if we view it through the lens of Heb. 10:14?

14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

Heb 10:14

Jesus covered our not enough with the mantle of His righteousness. His one sacrifice of the cross perfected everyone who would accept it.

What if the perfection we’re supposed to gain isn’t our perfection based on our works, but our perfection based on Jesus’s KIND GRACIOUS gift of His perfectness?

So what if being perfect before God isn’t about what we do, but who we let define us? What cosmic truth we entrust our lives to…

What if God accepts our “not enough”?

What if we can approach the throne of grace with confidence?

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Heb 4:16

LET PEOPLE SHOW JESUS TO YOU

I’ve felt overwhelmed and stressed in relationships before. But even deeper, I’ve felt like I’m not good enough. 

Not enough for the people I care about. Not enough for friendship. Not enough to be loved.

I’ve failed people. I’ve made mistakes. But I’ve also just felt incredibly insecure. 

But when I started accepting people’s grace as their way of showing Jesus to me, it all changed. 

When I changed my thoughts from “I don’t deserve help, I shouldn’t need it…or I need to make sure I help them back so I’m not a burden” to “this is a picture of Jesus” everything changed.

Can we accept help and love in the middle of our “not enough” as a reminder of who Jesus is and what he’s done for us?

I think we can. And I think it’ll be great.

If you’re a writer, submit to Fantastical Summer today! Submissions close on January 30th, and it’s honestly an amazing project to be part of.