Enough is plenty

We are living in a world that is evermore geared towards the acquisition of things. We are bombarded with upgrades for everything, creating a sense of need, want, more. This kind of marketing is aspirational definitely, but what are we aspiring to? There can be an underlying message that if we upgrade here and improve there we might just achieve perfection. But we know that we cannot attain this at any level, so we are left feeling empty and wanting.

We are even encouraged often to upgrade ourselves, and this can leave us feeling inadequate and insecure, again searching for something that isn’t even portrayed with full accuracy or total integrity on the internet.

Recently, I heard someone use the phrase ‘enough is plenty’ and it continued for me a thought that I have been processing for many years. Can we really believe we have enough?

Of course there are things that we need to buy and replenish, so I’m not so much thinking about those, but more that desire to seek after the latest gadget or appliance, or to upgrade something recently bought as we spot something of a different colour or style. Or the times when we buy something to fill a gap, to gain that momentary rush of adrenaline as we find something shiny and new. How can we think differently about that kind of consuming?

This concept reminds me of a verse in the bible that I consider when I think that I am in need of something more than what I have…

“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 4:11-13)

Here, Paul who is following Jesus, talks about how he knows contentment. And this contentment does not come from what he owns or doesn’t own, its bigger than him. As a Christian, I believe that this comes from knowing Jesus and trusting him for provision.

So where can we go from here?

I think we spend a large part of our lives being dissatisfied and that can rob us of precious time. I also believe that a lot of this dissatisfaction stems from how we use and view our homes. Are they more like storage units than places of rest? Processing centres of stuff rather than places we can share in the day to day fun of life with our family and friends? Places full of purchases made and of things no longer used; that fill our drawers and worktops? Shelves of never ending toys and books that are not played with or have even been long forgotten because we’ve lost track of what we have?

I’m sure we can all live with less around us, and relieving our homes of the excess leaves us with enough. Then, we value what we do have, it’s easy to manage and put away at the end of the day and promotes a sense of gratitude for what we have as the things we own then become blessings rather than burdens.

Can I encourage you to ponder this concept today? To see what you do have in a different light? Maybe you need to start to strip back your possessions and only hold on to the things that you use and that you enjoy. Maybe you need to tell yourself a different message when you have the urge to buy something else in an attempt to make life better or more meaningful. Do you really need it? In a years time will you be glad you bought it? Is it feeding your dissatisfaction or meeting an actual need?

In being a little more intentional about our thinking in this area, we can set ourselves on a journey to a different way of living that will benefit us, our families and those around us and we can enjoy what it is to be ‘simply satisfied’.