An inmate nearing
release said, “If I can make enough money in regular work then I
will give up my criminal past. If I can't earn enough to make me
happy I will take what I want.” I appreciated his honesty. I
replied, “How will you know when you have enough? He paused and
said he would have to explore this when he returned home. I doubt
with his materialistic values if he ever was fully satisfied.
I ponder how much is
enough to be grateful and find motivation to do what is right. The
law of diminishing returns applies as we strive for satisfaction.
Satiety eludes us as we grasp for more. If our basic needs are
secure advertisements allure that we can never be happy without the
sale's pitch . Are wishes for instant gratification of bigger and
better things valid needs? Material accumulation or endless
pleasure seeking activities bring a temporary elation which require
another quick fix as the high recedes. Each passing thrill satisfies
less.
There is a
spiritual reality about the experience of fullness. Haggai , in
1:5-6, expresses this timeless truth , “Give careful thought to
your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat,
but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put
on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a
purse with holes in it.”
Contentment is found
not in worldly status, possessions or passing pleasures. They fail
to satisfy our soul and lead to gratitude. A glut of wealth with its
trappings often brings only a restlessness of overindulgence. To
reflect on the precious gift of our humanity filled with great
potential brings new awareness of a deeper dimension of true wealth
given freely by our Maker. Our greatest treasure is who we are made
to become.
If we honor the
Giver of life we experience a satisfaction of soul which can't be
purchased. The Jewish prophet Haggai challenges us to serve others
with earthly wealth as the way to inner peace. When we acknowledge
the Divine Master and surrender to His higher purpose of generosity
our grasping can come to rest. In the practice of integrity and
sharing with the poor we can find the heart content.
Enough is not
found in excess. Enough is found in the choice to practice a more
generous way of life.
In the Jewish
Passover Meal an ancient song of thanksgiving, the “Dayenu”, is
shared. It is an up-beat role call of remembrance. A list of God's
gifts which no money can buy are proclaimed. After each blessing is
named the people say, “It would have been enough for us”. This
refrain reminds us that awareness of the Generous Giver and His gifts
is enough for us to practice behavior which honors Him.
