More Than Enough
“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” - Melody Beattie
It’s only mid-November, but Christmas time is coming. My husband comes from a large family, and if I’m honest, I had to sit down and tell him I was dealing with a lot of anxiety about being there for Christmas. In my head I was spiraling over what to get my daughter for Christmas, thinking, “What will the presents we get her say about what kind of parents we are? How much money we have? What if her cousins get more, bigger, and better gifts?” And my sweet husband gently asked me “Why does it matter so much? What if you focused on what would be special for her instead of what everyone else will be thinking?”
He was right. In the moment, I wasn’t thinking about how much my daughter would love a little purse of her own or some new bath toys; I was busy trying to keep up with an intangible, unstated standard of my own making.
Our culture loves to tell us, both at Christmas and every other day of the year, that we need more and new and better than last year. And while I love buying and giving gifts, love a new pair of clothes or a brand new book, do I really need more?
Can I be content with less? Fewer clothes, fewer clothes, less stuff?
Can I offer my God-given talents as gifts to others?
Can I invest (especially over the holidays) more in being present than in presents?
Can I see what I already have as more than enough?
Our God calls us to be thankful in all circumstances, whether that means we get more gifts than we know what to do with or we have to say no to some things for the sake of our budget. Whatever our circumstances are currently, they are where we are. And God has given us a gift in them if we will only stop to look, and pause long enough to be grateful.
When I step out of the never-ending need for more, I’m able to look around my house, in my closet, at my kid’s toys with eyes that say, “Wow, what we have is good.” And as my heart turns back to Jesus, the Greatest Gift Giver, I see that there’s more than enough.