Enough

That is the title of our church's current sermon series that started this past Sunday. Over the next few weeks we are going to be looking at money - God's view and our view.

Today I want to look at what does it mean to have 'enough'? Does it mean an abundance? Does it mean just squeaking by? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, enough means "occurring in such quality, quanity, or scope as to fully meet demands, needs, or expectations."

To me, that definition sounds like it is much more than 'squeaking by' but probably not as much as having an 'abundance'. That seems like a good middle ground. I don't think God wants us to feel as if we have to live our lives on the edge, feeling pinched, but I also don't think God wants us to live our lives with an overabundance of material goods either. He wants us to be satisfied, to have 'enough'.

For different people that might mean different things but I suspect in God's eyes it means one thing, all the time. Just because we have a huge disparity of wealth on Earth, doesn't mean that is how God wants it to be. I suspect that God would like those of us who have material wealth in abundance to give our wealth away to those who are barely getting by or not getting by at all, until those who are 'wealthy' and those who are 'poor' have just 'enough' to meet their needs.

That means that instead of having more toys than he can possibly play with on a regular rotation, my son has fewer toys and he sometimes gets bored with what he owns. That means for me, instead of following the latest fashion trends and buying that pair of skinny jeans or Bearpaw boots that will probably be unfashionable by next Fall, I just stick with regular clothes that can go a few seasons. That means for the men out there who buy brand new sporting equipment each year, they have to deal with their 'old' equipment for a bit longer.

For some families, it might mean eating leftovers, going to restaurants less, having fewer or smaller vacations. The end goal here is not to make yourself feel deprived, but to help others feel satisfied.

This is not an easy thing for any of us. We live in a culture that judges us by our 'covers' and we want to measure up and to not be found lacking. We try so hard to meet the expectations of those around us that we completely lose sight of God's expectations for us.

We need to remind ourselves on a daily basis that all of our 'stuff' is temporary, but our souls and the souls of every person on earth is 'eternal'. At the end of our lives, our stuff might have made our lives 'easier' but I don't think any of us will be able to honestly say the stuff made our lives 'better'. Our inward life - our relationships with God and those around us, how we treat others and are treated in return, the love that we give and receive - these make our lives better. None of those, however, can be bought or traded. They can't be packed in a box or stored in the attic until we need them.

Where are we each going to put our focus today and everyday for the rest of our lives? Are we going to focus on the external and temporary? Or are we going to focus on the internal and eternal?

CS

"Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and thieves do not break in and steal." Matthew 6:20