Too-ness
Approximate Reading Time: 6 Minutes
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 3
Topic: You are not too much for God
Key verse: Ephesians 3:19
"and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
You Are Not Too Much for God
I’m a lot. I won’t lie. It is something that I know about myself—but I also know I feel this way because there has always been someone with an opinion of my “too-ness”.
“Too quiet. Too loud. Too fat. Too skinny. Too opinionated. Too wishy-washy. Laughed too much. Cried too much. Was not active enough. Couldn’t sit still. Too unmotivated. Tried too hard. Stayed too busy. Didn’t get out enough. Too boring. Had too many hobbies. Too shy. Talked too much. Too angry. Too soft….”
And—It’s True
Y’all, this list could go on and on.
If I’m being completely honest, every single one of those is true—at least at least for a moment. Sometimes all at once.
I tend to swing from one extreme to the other when I sense I discomfort in others. I internalize. I overthink. I overcompensate. And eventually, I shut down. Picture a robot when someone flips the off switch and they kind of melt into a state of hunched over stillness. That’s me. You may often find me enjoying myself at a social event and before you know it, look up and I’m halfway home to my fuzzy blanket.
We Are Not Meant To Be One Dimensional
I am not one way and if I had to place a bet, I would bet that you are not either. We are multifaceted, multi-passionate, multi-talented people.
“— and we are only “too much” to someone who doesn’t get us. ”
I will admit there are plenty of people in this world that I don’t get. Maybe they are too loud, or too peppy for me (Just call me Wednesday Adams). It took me much too long to realize that other people’s too-ness did not mean I did not like them. Or that they are wrong. They do not need to change to be more like me. Please don’t do that. One of me is enough.
One thing about God that I get most excited about is His creativity. He is the ultimate creative! He created and loves our creativity as well.
A few years ago, while struggling with someone else’s opinion of me, I poured my heart out to and—and I heard Him whisper:
“You are not too much for me.”
And I cried. Because why was that a surprise to hear?
This is the same God who created the heavens and the ocean. The God who holds galaxies in His hand. And I thought I might be too much for Him?
God Calls Our “Too” Beautiful
That is when I realized that our too-ness is beautiful in His eyes. Being alike is not how we are intended to be—we were not created to shrink. And we were not created for each other, we were created for Him! To glorify Him. To emulate Him. To worship Him. And how could any of that possibly fit into something or someone that was not “too?” Our personalities have to be too big for humans if we are to worship an immense God. Our creativity has to be too much for humans if we want to try everything we can to honor the gifts He gave us.
I believe the most prominent gift He gave me is curiosity. Sso of course I want to make all the things, read all the things, do all the jobs, love all the styles, and watch all the tiny critters that cross my path. He is in every single one of those things, so I want to experience them ALL!
Growing up—and well into adulthood—being “too” was absolutely no fun. I felt unwanted. I felt like an annoyance. Frankly, I felt like I was too much even for myself.
Occasionally that mindset still tries to sneak in. But when The King of Kings, your Abba Father, tells you that you are not too much for Him—the opinions of others lose their grip. When someone says, “you’re a lot,” I can just smile and say, “I know.”
Thank You, Elyse Myers
There’s a quote I love from Elyse Myers:
“If I’m too much, go find less.”
I’d like to add:
Instead of shrinking me, go find your “too.”
Realize that you might be “too much” for someone else—and that’s okay. That doens’t make you wrong. It just means they’re not your table.
Some people can exhaust me with their high energy—but for others? They are incredible at helping them unlock their best selves. Their “too-ness” is exactly enough for God and the people they are called to sit with. AND THAT IS BEAUTIFUL!
We don’t all have to sit at the same table.
We also don’t need to cut the legs off of other tables and expect them to shrink.
Go be “too”, and let them be “too” too.
click here for A Prayer for the Woman Who’s Been Told She’s Too Much
I ran across this video on YouTube and it reminds of exactly what God does when others say we are "too".
Ready to Embrace Your “Too”?
If this resonated with you, you are exactly the kind of woman I love to work with.
Come check out my coaching page to see how we can link arms and walk this wild journey together.
