How all of us can discover the wonderful secret of ‘We have enough’
By Dean Collins
The last couple of days I have been thinking about the difference between two short sentences, “I’ve had enough” and “We have enough.”
Each has 12 letters and each includes the word enough. There is something similar in each sentence; yet depending on tone and context, the meanings can be very different.
I’ve had enough! said with a raised voice might mean I am checking out. I can’t do whatever’s before me any longer. It could imply that the individual is past their patience with someone or something. Or sometimes it’s said when the host tries to serve one more piece of pie or refill your coffee cup. “I’ve had enough” means I am at my limit. I would imagine all of us have had these moments at work, at home, over meals, and with a variety of difficulties. To a friend and maybe to God you said, “I’ve had enough.”
Depending on where you live in the world, you might have a very different thoughts about having enough. Across the globe, there are 828 million people who do not have adequate food. According to the USDA, more than 34 million Americans, including 9 million children, are food insecure. These statistics have gotten worse due to the pandemic. According to a study at UCDAVIS, it is estimated that 30 million tons of food in the U.S. and 1.3 billion metric tons of food worldwide are never eaten. This happens due to a variety of issues from the supply chain to other problems still being researched. Far too many people who were created in God’s image and live on God’s created planet daily do not have enough.
Day by day they gave
As I read chapter 36 of Exodus I was struck by the Israelites following Moses’ instructions to donate the materials needed to build the tabernacle and all of its components. Day by day, the people brought their gifts to the Lord. They brought so much that one day the people had given more than enough. Moses finally had to declare, “We have enough.” Verse 7 says this: “Their contributions were more than enough to complete the whole project.”
Even from a group of God’s people who had escaped in the middle of the night in Egypt, there was more than enough to do what God asked them to do.
I recently wrote about how the Lord of abundance can provide for all that is needed when we have the courage to release what we have into his hands. God has given us plenty of resources. Our task is to loosen our grip on these resources so that he can use them to bless others. And by the way, every time Jesus fed the masses there were plenty of leftovers. No one’s life was damaged by sharing what they had.
Daily there are needs
Every day there is a church, a nonprofit organization doing God’s work, and many families who have needs. They do not have enough. Yet we know that there are billions, even trillions, of dollars sitting on the sidelines to help someone someday. It makes me wonder if God sometimes ponders when to say, “I’ve had enough” because of our unwillingness to share our resources with those in need.
On the other hand, we know God can and will provide more than enough through the humble offerings we bring. When we open our hands and loosen our grips on what we believe to be our stuff, God then opens his as well. And with open hands lifted to God, one day all of us might say, “We have enough.”
Your time with God’s Word
Exodus 36:1-7 NLT
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