When Is Enough Enough?

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have… –Hebrews 13:5a

Global statistics report that if you have a roof over your head and a meal on your table, you are richer than 93% of all people in the world.

After a career of auctioning millions of dollars’ worth of decorative arts, fine furnishings and wealthy estates, auctioneer Leslie Hindman said she finds little value in material possessions. Over the years, she has watched some families argue bitterly over their loved one’s possessions.  She has seen others spend millions on items that will once again be sold at the buyer’s death.

Did you know that if you own at least one pair of shoes, you are richer than 75% of all people in the world?  This is mind boggling in America where credit card debt averages almost $16,000 per household.

When is enough… enough? Ecclesiastes 5:10 reads, “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.” Proverbs 30: 7-9 reads, “Two things I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or I may become poor and steal and so dishonor the name of my God.”

The author of Hebrews urges us to be content with what we have. One way to do that is to begin to let go of the excesses in our lives and move toward being free from the chains of materialism. I heard someone say, “What ever happened to having enough?”

A couple of things we could all ponder:

Are you content with the things you have, or do you find yourself continually wanting more?

Identify one thing you can let go of today to begin freeing yourself from the clutches of material possessions.

I know I need to ponder these things.

Blessings,

Thora