That alone is reason enough to keep reading.
Consider Tom and Kristin. Tom is a financial planner and Kristin a personal trainer. They make a good living and are successful by just about anyone's standard—beautiful kids, nice neighborhood, comfortable house, and financial security. However, as Tom and Kristin continued to grow in their discipleship, and specifically as they got involved with their church's missions ministry, they both began to sense that God wanted them to rethink their lifestyle. They came to see the disparity between how they were living, what they were modeling for their kids, and what the Scriptures taught about giving and living with enough.
As a result of the Spirit's leading in their lives, Tom and Kristin started making changes. They sold their house and moved into a smaller one in the same area. They increased their giving and reduced their respective workloads so they could spend more time serving. Their lives have done a complete 180-degree turn...and they couldn't be happier. Tom and Kristin have discovered the biblical secret of living with less. They find their hope and joy in following Jesus and in living to bless others. They have rejected the cultural notion that more matters.
In other words, they don't buy into what marketers want us to believe, the "money equals happiness" promise. Tom and Kristin are pushing back on the pressure many of us feel to spend money like there's no tomorrow, almost as if it's our duty. They don't feel obligated to keep spending money so that our nation will have a strong and thriving economy. They also understand that what they have or don't have doesn't in any way define who they are or reflect their value. They've decided to radically embrace the biblical teaching that they don't own anything—that they really are just managers of what God has entrusted to them. And they're experiencing firsthand the Bible's promises that those who live with less and give more will have all that they need—physically, spiritually, emotionally, and relationally. You can too.
Tom and Kristin are not unusual. I believe there is an enough revolution brewing in our culture, and I've got countless examples to prove it. A significant number of Christ followers are coming to the conclusion that more doesn't matter and that you really can have joy, peace, and blessing by living with less. Becoming an enough Christian isn't as hard as it seems and not nearly as painful as your instincts may tell you. In fact, you'll be surprised at how easy it is to live with less. You'll even wonder how you got by all those years with so much. Less matters. Less really is more.
I invite you to join the enough revolution. In the pages that follow, you'll discover what it means to "move toward enough." You'll learn to recognize the myth of more and experience the joy of living with less. And you'll be gripped by the practical reality of Jesus' words: "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).
Section 1: Enough Is Enough
Give me enough food to live on, neither too much nor too little.
Agur, as quoted in Proverbs 30:8 (Message)
How Much Is Enough?
Enough. It's a curious word, isn't it? Why don't you say it out loud a few times—enough, enough, enough. I bet you can even define the word without looking it up: the condition or state of having plenty; to be full or filled; without lack. Enough.
We use the word enough many times each day without even thinking. I have enough gas to get home. Do you have enough money for the movie? We've got enough time for just two more questions. I don't have enough sugar for the recipe. We don't have enough money to pay our taxes. I've had just about enough of your back talk. I think I've got enough room for one more helping of cobbler.
Enough. Whatever enough is, we instinctively know when we do or do not have enough of it.
Except when it comes to things and money. Why is it that so many of us don't know how to define enough when dealing with the material and/or financial aspects of our lives? You would think that those boundaries of enough would be the easiest to figure out. You just define it by what you need, right? If you need $10 for a movie and you have $10, then you have enough. If it costs $35 to fill up your gas tank and you have $35, then you've got enough.
But it isn't really that simple, is it? When it comes to stuff, we wrestle with all kinds of questions about what is and isn't enough. How many square feet—bedrooms, bathrooms, garage, kitchen, dining room, breakfast nook, exercise room, entertainment room, workroom, and study—will make up enough house for us? How much car—new or used; lease or own; cloth, vinyl, or leather interior; single- or multi-CD player; V-6 or V-8 engine; GPS, speaker phone, TV, and DVD player; sun roof and/or moon roof—will be enough car for me? How much money—five figures (as long as the first figure is an 8 or a 9), six figures, or even seven figures—do I need to meet my needs? To feel secure? To be happy? To feel like I have enough? You get the point.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In