“Now, enough is enough!”  How many times have you heard this phrase?  When I was a kid, my brother and I would hear this all the time.  It was usually at the dinner table, and we were horsing around.  Mom or Dad would say, “Now boys, you are at the dinner table.  Enough is enough!”  We would then proceed to hold our breaths and try to not laugh.  But inevitably, one of us would let out a snicker, and the whole process would start over again.  It was like we could not stop the process, even if we wanted to, and this could go on for hours.  What our parents were really saying is, “It is fine to have a good time and enjoy yourself, but what you have enjoyed and experienced to this point is enough.  Now it is becoming a distraction.”  My brother and I wanted more though, and we never thought we had ever had enough fun.

As an adult, I am no stranger to wanting more just like when I was a kid.  In my mind, enough is never enough.  I have many clichés now that draw me off course.  For example, “If something is worth doing, it is worth overdoing,” or If a little is good, a lot is better.”  Now these statements lead me to one place and one place only: dependance on myself.  Why do I need more than enough?  This is because if I have more than enough, I will never want for anything.  I will never have to depend on someone else.  I will never have to worry about having what I want.  I will never be wrong. These statements, although reassuring, are not necessarily a good path to go down.  The idea of self-reliance is fine when it comes to not forcing others to wait on you hand and foot, but the problem is that it takes God out of the equation.

So, when is enough really enough?  The real answer to that question is, as my oldest daughter regularly says, “Jesus.”  In other words, I have no idea what the answer is, but Jesus is the answer to everything.  This is what she uses as ‘a get out of jail free card’ when she is put on the spot, usually by Pa.  I actually believe this is absolutely the correct answer, though.  So, let’s put God back in this situation and ask ourselves the question again, “Is enough, enough?”  It says in Philippians 4:19, “My God shall supply all you need according to his riches and glory.”  This is not a get out of jail free answer.  It is actually what God said He will do.  So yes, enough is enough.  What God gives you will always be enough.

Will it make sense?  No, not always.  Will you be able to always see how God is going to work it out?  No, many times probably not.  Can you imagine being a disciple of Jesus with over 5,000 people to feed?  A little boy comes up with five loaves and two fish and says, “You can have this.”  Jesus says that will be perfect.  The doubt in the disciples could probably be seen all over them.  I can see Jesus looking back at them and saying, “Enough is enough.”  As a disciple, I would have been just like them and told Jesus that it makes a lot more sense to just send them to town, because there is no way this will be enough.  Jesus just reiterated, enough will be enough.  And guess what?  It just so happens that not only was enough, enough; enough was more than enough.  The disciples could not imagine this working out, but Jesus knew all of their needs would be met.

So, remember as Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.”  When I worry if enough will be enough, I cannot lean on my own understanding.  I cannot worry if I have enough money, if I am strong enough, if my health will last long enough, if I have enough food, if I am enough, or if I have had enough fun.  I have to trust in what God has told me and that He will do what He says.  With God enough will always be enough.

— Written by Chris