February 28, 2013
Enough
And Jesus told them this parable: “The ground of a
certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do?
I have no place to store my crops.’
“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my
barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
Luke 12:16-18
e·nough /iˈnəf/
adj. adequate
for the want or need; sufficient for the purpose or to satisfy desire; as in, I have had enough food.
How much is
enough?
This is a
question that Americans have a tough time answering. Sixty eight percent of us are overweight, we
have closets full of clothes, Racks full of shoes, and garages so filled with
stuff we can’t park our cars in them. The New York Times recently reported that
Americans rent 2.3 billion square feet of rental space- 7 square feet of
storage for every man, woman and child in the whole nation. In our house, it seems like every Christmas
we pull out trash bags full of barely used toys to give to Good Will to make
room for the next crop of toys. How much
is enough?
The definition of
“enough” is rather indicting.
“Sufficient for the purpose.” Hm… that could redefine my relationship
with food, shopping and many other things.
Do I have sufficient? If the
answer is “yes”, then why more? But the last part of the definition cuts deep:
“sufficient to satisfy desire.”
Ouch. Maybe that’s what our
rampant consumerism is about. We are
trying to use stuff to satisfy a desire. We are casting possession or pleasures
into that large hole in our heart that can only be filled with God.
Now I’m not
saying that everyone should take a vow of poverty, live in a cardboard box and
survive on saltine crackers. Scripture
is clear that God has given all things for us to freely enjoy. So by all means, enjoy! But settling the
question of “How much is enough” will free us to enjoy our relationship with
God more fully and liberate us to live more generously in God’s kingdom.
Maybe enough
really is enough!
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