Having ENOUGH.

Excess. We all have areas in our life where we hold onto too much. Maybe it's clothing, electronics, or for me, it's food. Now I'm not just talking about over-eating, I'm also talking about the kinds of foods we eat. Think of the meals you ate this week. I imagine you ate meals with additional sauces, spices and even side dishes that complimented each item on your plate. Think about it...when was the last time you simply had a plain piece of chicken, no flavoring, no additional ingredients. We often turn our noses up at this, however as we begin this Lenten journey, I have been reminded that this is how so much of the world eats. Food isn't extravagant or excessive--it is simply enough.

Most of the world doesn't eat in excess they simply eat what is available and in ready supply. And the amazing thing (now here's the real kicker for us) they are grateful for these meals. These simple meager meals are ENOUGH.

I am reminded of how the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years. During this time, God provided manna for the Israelites to eat. Now in the book of Exodus, this manna was described as having a honey-like taste, however can you imagine eating this exact same meal for forty years? I don't know about you, but I'm sure this taste would become old and even unexciting. I'm sure I would be looking for new ways to cook this or even what I could add to it to change the flavor or texture. Yet I think God was intentional to provide the same meal to the Israelites. Through this meal, the Israelites discovered they had ENOUGH. God had already provided them everything they needed to be satisfied.

Oftentimes for Lent, we choose to give something up. I find it amazing how we struggle to give up this ONE thing however these Israelites basically gave us EVERYTHING they had, even down to their meals when they left Egypt. It was like God was stripping them to their basic essentials to work in their hearts and minds what it means to be fully dependent on Him and to find complete satisfaction in His presence.

That's a hard concept for us to fully understand because we have been given so much. However, I am challenged by this. Especially in light of the fact that most of us will "re-add" whatever thing we gave up during Lent immediately after this season. It's like we immediately gravitate to these excesses in our lives. What would it look like if we didn't simply eliminate these excesses for forty days but allowed this to be a continual shaping process as we seek to find new areas in our lives that we need to strip away. Imagine what it would be like to continue to live with less, yet feel more satisfied than before. Imagine what it would be like to simply live with ENOUGH.