Inadequacy is described as being insufficient or incapable. It is the opposite of sufficiency or capability. A person who struggles with feelings of inadequacy thinks they are insufficient in specific areas of their life. They may hold these types of feelings in their mind regardless of the validity–to them it is a reality.

A person who struggles with inadequacy often plunges into feelings of humiliation or shame. They have fears of being found out, and that their inadequacies might be discovered by others. Try as they may to escape these feelings, they continue to be plagued by them, and as a result they become either withdrawn, or needy. Either way, their concern is that what they have will be taken away and given to someone more capable. Feeling threatened is a key characteristic of inadequacy.

Many times a person who struggles with inadequacy will try and build a facade of capability, but on the inside they feel like a impostor who needs to keep up these appearances. Unhealthy emotions flourish under this mask. These include feelings of inferiority, insecurity, and anxiety.

Because there is such a deep void in the heart of a person who deals with this inner turmoil, they may have the tendency to seek inordinate reassurance to ease the desperate feelings associated with this struggle. One thing is for certain, they recognize their battle and want to be different, but even in this realization they feel inadequate.

Is there hope for this area of struggle? It is natural for the heart to want to protect itself or be on guard when it feels inadequate? A.W. Tozer says of the heart: “The heart’s fierce effort to protect itself from every slight, to shield its touchy honor from the bad opinion of friend and enemy, will never let it rest.”

God has made provision for this condition of the heart. Similar to the recovery process of inferiority, people who struggles with feelings of inadequacy can have an overhaul in their thinking with the Holy Spirit’s help. It is entirely possible for a person with this struggle to embrace God’s estimation of themselves and be at peace. Blue Skies: Beyond The Dark Clouds Of Broken Thinking helps us discover how our value in Christ rescues us from feelings of inadequacy.

Joy and peace come from learning to walk in the design God has for our thinking. Every day we battle with old thought patterns and emotions that hold us captive. Blue Skies: Beyond The Dark Clouds Of Broken Thinking leads us step by step; taking us deep into truths that set us free to live into a new narrative, one of confidence and purpose—the story we were meant to live.