More Than Enough

Do you have everything you need?

Let me put that another way: do you get enough to eat; do you have a place to live; do you get adequate medical care; do you have enough clothes to wear something different every day for three days? If you have access to a computer to read this, chances are your answer to each of the above is "yes."

Now, do you really need all those other things you wish you had? What defines "need" anyway? For that matter, how much is "enough"? John D. Rockefeller, who had more than most of us ever dare wish for, is credited with having answered, "Always a little bit more." He was in a position to know; he's said to have nearly killed himself--literally--worrying over whether this or that decision was a waste of a few dollars.

But it's not just over money or possessions that little voices in our heads can drive us to the intensive care unit with their constant nagging that "You don't have enough.... You don't have enough." Take it from someone who never seems to get rid of the habit of frantically running to catch up with life's tasks, trying to outrace the fear of not having enough time. And what about people who starve themselves to skeletons out of obsession with the idea they aren't thin enough to be good-looking?

Is there any escape from the fear of not having "enough"?

Jesus offers a--no, the--way out: "Seek first [God's] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Mt. 6:33). "All these things" not necessarily meaning everything we want, but everything God knows we need. Like it or not, He may require us to give up--perhaps forever--some things we really wish we had. But only when we reach the point of being willing to say--and mean with all our hearts--"Lord, whatever You give me is enough for me," will we ever know true satisfaction.

Because, ultimately, God Himself is the only real "Enough."

Oh, the human life is a hectic life,
Filled with “doing” and “buying” days,
Filled with tasks and “things” and a thousand goals
That we chase in a thousand ways.
As we fill our hours with unending chores
And our houses with endless “stuff,”
Nothing seems to suit us or satisfy,
Though we have far more than enough!

It was so with peoples of ancient times,
It’s been so for uncounted years;
For since Adam’s sin cursed the land with thorns,
Human lusts bring no end of tears.
And it seems no different in luxury
Than on paths that are steep and rough;
We may sleep on dirt or on sheets of silk:
Nothing ever seems quite enough!

We were made to walk with the Lord of All;
When we choose our own ways instead
And cement our souls to more fleshly loves,
Fear of loss fills our hearts with dread.
Let yourself find rest in the God of Love;
Lose your cravings for earthly fluff:
We must seek His Kingdom and Him alone—
He alone is more than enough!