Enough Is Enough

 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

– Philippians 4:12

The story goes that a reporter once interviewed a billionaire and marveled at the rich man’s ability to amass wealth.

"Just how much money is enough?” asked the reporter. “Just a little bit more,” replied the billionaire.

Whether you’re independently wealthy, living from paycheck to paycheck or somewhere in between, a little bit more tends to be the remedy for our dissatisfaction. Rather than In God We Trust, perhaps America’s official motto should be Supersize It.

God has blessed our nation with incredible wealth. Even our poor and unemployed are rich compared to most people in the world. Yet a pandemic of discontentment tends to blind us to this fact. The more possessions we gather and the higher we climb up the corporate ladder, the more disillusioned and unfulfilled we can become. And rather than thanking God for his blessings and making the most of them, we wonder (often aloud) if this is all there is to life.

This sickness can also have some nasty symptoms, including a reliance on alcohol, street drugs, illicit relationships and gambling — all to ease our self-inflicted pain. Things might feel better for a while. But soon the discomfort returns.

This problem is hardly new. And it’s not confined to the United States or even Western society. In fact, the Bible — God’s practical owner’s manual for you and me — addressed the

issue of discontentment centuries ago. And its advice is as valid today as it was back then.

First, consider all the ways God has blessed you. It could involve your family, career, health, friends … just count the ways. Then, stop comparing your possessions with what’s next door. Marketers do very well when they convince you that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. But don’t forget that someone else is probably wishing they could have just one or two of your blessings.

Like that elusive blessing called joy, contentment isn’t something we can get by buying a new car, moving into a bigger house or landing a job with a corner office. Contentment is instead an internal source of fulfillment and comfort acquired by knowing your Savior and living out the abundant life he's purchased for you. 

It’s really all about Jesus. A growing relationship with him produces contentment because there's nothing bigger, better or more necessary. Comparisons fall away and material things lose their luster. What was once so important soon fades into insignificance. 

Sound simplistic or too good to be true? A whole new life is just inches away — the distance between the head and the heart. And all that’s needed is to accept Jesus’ offer and grow in contentment.

So is there really enough in this lifetime? The bigger question is whether we’re willing to take yes for an answer.