I Want More!

I want more! More time, more money, more hits on my blog page . . . I always want more, except when I want less. Less responsibility, less bills, less blogs to write . . .

In short, it seems I'm rarely satisfied. I find myself much like Goldilocks, going from bowl to bowl, trying to find the one that is "just right." But you know what--I don't even know what I am looking for. I'm not sure I would know "just right" or "just enough" if it came up and bit me.

I heard a story today about having just enough. An 18 year old kid was having complicated facial surgery. The surgeons were hoping, but not overly confident, that they would be able to harvest enough bone from his jaw to perform the surgery, but if not, they would have to take donor bone from his illiac crest--his hip. That would complicate the surgery, and the recovery. Prayers were offered up to God, and after a 5 hour surgery, the surgeon reported that everything went well. They had just enough bone from his jaw for the surgery. They didn't skimp, but they didn't throw anything away. It was the perfect amount.

That's what "just enough" looks like. Just what we need; not too much, not too little.

In my life, it seems everyone is telling me I need more. Meal portion size continues to grow, houses continue to get bigger, cars are bigger, faster, fancier . . . The list goes on. To listen to the world, nothing I have is sufficient for me now, let alone the future. If I hope to merely survive, let alone be happy, my TV cannot be smaller than 50 inches, my car must be new, and if my kids aren't reading War and Peace by the age of 3--well, it's hopeless.

I have to tell you--as far as the world is concerned--I'm a lost cause. I don't have any of those things.

But I have just enough of the one thing that matters. There is one area in my life, an area that the world will tell me is not needed, and, in fact, will drag me down, where I have just what I need.

Yep. You guessed it. God. 

Salvation. Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit.

If these names are offensive to you, if you get tired of hearing me talk about God, I am unapologetic. I am not out to offend anyone, but neither am I out to compromise what I believe. I cannot and will not believe one thing, and say another. Straddling a fence will make you sore in places you don't want to be sore. The same is true with God. You try to straddle the fence in your relationship with God, and you're going to find pain in the most sensitive areas of your life.

But just enough God means being fully on His side of the fence. That doesn't mean being perfect--none of us meet that. But it means recognizing Him for who He is, and accepting the fact that without Him in our lives, we are lost. Without salvation through Jesus Christ, and without the Holy Spirit guiding our way, we will never find a bowl of porridge that is "just right." We will always be looking for something better.

But a neat thing happens when you get off the fence and walk with God. You find satisfaction in where you are, wherever that is. Google Philippians 4:11-13 and see what the Bible has to say about that. And keep in mind, this is Paul speaking. Paul, who was beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked . . . you name it, he went through it. And he was no different than you and me. He was simply a man who climbed over to God's side of the fence and found contentment in whatever God gave him, whether a lot or a little, pleasant or unpleasant.

I have learned, like Paul, to be content with a lot of things, but I still have a long way to go. I'm still complaining about the long, cold winter we had--even as I complain about Illinois heat and humidity. Read how I started this post--I struggle with wanting more, or less, depending on what it is. But I'm learning.

One thing I have learned is that God is always enough. Never too much, never too little. Always sufficient.

When I think about that, everything else seems to be "just right" as well. Try it for yourself the next time you want more or less of something. Think about the sufficiency of God and see if your attitude changes.