What’s Your Enough?

Someone like “the Jones”. This is how it’s been.

There is so much opportunity in our world, so much good, so many choices…

…and so much to keep up with if we try.  Our culture screams keeping up and ever increasing expectations. But guess what: increased expectations means increased workloads. 

Is that really the ultimate result of what you are striving for?

Author Dereck Thompson meanders through the history of the household in his article, “Three Theories for Why You Have No Time”. He says that even if we were given more hours in the day, we probably wouldn’t use them for leisure as we dream about. Instead, we’d spend those hours cleaning or working more. How can he say this? Because history tells us so. We have been given more time through the years- through household conveniences and a “bevy of labor saving appliances.”

Has all the technology we’ve seen increase in our lives given us more time for rest and leisure? No. While technology adds immeasurably to our lives, it also raises expectations immeasurably. And, as we remember, raised expectations equals more work.

Fast forward to early 2020 and our way of doing daily life came to an abrupt halt. It’s not the Jones’ we’re letting define our enough now; Covid19 is forcing it for the entire world.

Time for the grace to define our own enough.

Now more than ever. Because this is life changing. And while our days will eventually return to much of what we recall as normal daily life, and there will be a vaccine for this someday, we now have the opportunity to define our own enough in a whole new way.

Everyone in the world is experiencing some type of refrain from everyday life, although some surely have it easier than others. We are working and schooling at home now, just like so many others. For us, there is more mess and more noise. And the separation from friends and the normal things we do really hurts on so many levels. Some days, I am overwhelmed and sad and just cry. Still. Months later.

Though we have a home, jobs, healthy kids, enough food, and a dog that gets us outside for walks and distraction, I recognize there are those in the world that have none of these. I recognize there are so many people working, and risking their health, to serve the rest of us right now. I recognize there has been isolation. And that loved ones have been lost. 

But what if God has something for each of us in this, even through the pain; a new enough?

What if your “enough” is right around the corner? What if it’s always been there, but you haven’t seen it because you’ve been too busy with activity? Too busy competing? Too busy comparing? And what if the COVID pandemic is the one thing that is forcing you to look around that corner?

This side of heaven there is no perfection. Strive for it, yes, because God put that desire in you, but be real that we won’t experience it here. So what if you stopped expecting it? What if you made the shift from “how much do I need to do today to get what I want?”  to “how do I want to spend my day and who do I want to be?”

This is not a new question. It’s an old question to ask yourself in light of your new situation. Here’s your opportunity: Don’t let anyone else define your enough.  Ever again.  You weren’t put on this earth to feel like you’re not enough, you’re not doing enough, or you don’t have enough. You were put on this earth with your own individual enough. Anything beyond it is distracting. It’s an intrusion of your peace and your uniqueness, and it goes against the grain of grace.

This does not mean letting go of big hopes and dreams and goals.

Not at all.

Because your individual enough includes bringing all of who you are to the table. It means fulfillment and joy through the giving of yourself, your talents and your ideas. It means the fulfillment of the true desires of your heart, delighting in what you love to do and experience, exploring all you are curious about, and using your brain to discover and create. It means enough time for thorough enjoyment of all you have in your life.

To give yourself and others the freedom of enough is grace. To not compare your enough to anothers’ enough is grace. To cherish and find joy in your own enough is grace.

We can’t be presumptuous about how things will be when our lives fully open up again. Nor can we fool ourselves that we won’t be tempted to go back to our old ways. But take the time now to plant the seed. Question what it is you are really striving for.  Discover, define, and declare your new enough.

Here’s your practical tool. Fill out this worksheet and keep it handy to guide your future decision making, and remind you of what you learned during this time.