The Opposite of Enough
One of my previous posts (http://thesearchforencounter.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-spiritual-trap-of-enough.html) dealt with the realization I had of “enough” plaguing my spiritual vocabulary. I think this is something that’s common in all of our lives; whenever we face discouragement, fear, disappointment, or desolation, there’s often some form of “I didn’t (or someone else didn’t) do enough.” All of this is part of our fallen condition, so the first step in response would be to not beat ourselves up over these thoughts. What Satan desires most of all is for us to become lost in despair. Yet, thanks be to God, we can certainly find a renewed hope in Him.
If “enough” is an attitude that is harmful for us, then what should we replace it with? I mentioned previously that I was teaching the program Totus Tuus when I encountered the above realization, and, through some ordinary (and even some extraordinary) events, what I learned is that the opposite of giving “enough” is giving all. (It’s no surprise then that “Totus Tuus” is Latin for “Totally Yours”)
When we’re trying to reach some sort of benchmark (e.g. If I accomplish this or that, then I’ll have done what God asks), then often we can falter in two ways: 1. We can fail to reach that mark and fall in despair or 2. We do reach it but then get caught in pride and self-sufficiency, setting ourselves up for a larger fall. However, let’s consider some spiritual logic. God has made us who we are with certain gifts, strengths, and motivations, yet He also knows our weaknesses that plague us. He loves us with an unconditional love not as a taskmaster but as a Father. If we simply give everything we can to Him, despite our weaknesses (since this in itself is a difficult task), He embraces it fully and makes it much greater than we could ever imagine.
A Scriptural image for this is the feeding of the five-thousand in Matthew 14:13-21. The disciples wish to dismiss the crowds so that they can get food, but Jesus tells them to give them food themselves. Can you imagine the disciples dumbfounded, saying “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.” There’s no way that this is enough! Yet Jesus simply says, “Bring them here to me,” making the disciples’ “all” into “more than enough.”
Thankfully, I’m not alone in saying this. Listen to this podcast (or at least read the brief story) by Fr. Mark Cyza as he contemplates with St. Francis the incredible reality that God is “Never-Enough,” which means simply that He is Love. http://www.discerninghearts.com/?p=13016
If “enough” is an attitude that is harmful for us, then what should we replace it with? I mentioned previously that I was teaching the program Totus Tuus when I encountered the above realization, and, through some ordinary (and even some extraordinary) events, what I learned is that the opposite of giving “enough” is giving all. (It’s no surprise then that “Totus Tuus” is Latin for “Totally Yours”)
When we’re trying to reach some sort of benchmark (e.g. If I accomplish this or that, then I’ll have done what God asks), then often we can falter in two ways: 1. We can fail to reach that mark and fall in despair or 2. We do reach it but then get caught in pride and self-sufficiency, setting ourselves up for a larger fall. However, let’s consider some spiritual logic. God has made us who we are with certain gifts, strengths, and motivations, yet He also knows our weaknesses that plague us. He loves us with an unconditional love not as a taskmaster but as a Father. If we simply give everything we can to Him, despite our weaknesses (since this in itself is a difficult task), He embraces it fully and makes it much greater than we could ever imagine.
A Scriptural image for this is the feeding of the five-thousand in Matthew 14:13-21. The disciples wish to dismiss the crowds so that they can get food, but Jesus tells them to give them food themselves. Can you imagine the disciples dumbfounded, saying “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.” There’s no way that this is enough! Yet Jesus simply says, “Bring them here to me,” making the disciples’ “all” into “more than enough.”
Thankfully, I’m not alone in saying this. Listen to this podcast (or at least read the brief story) by Fr. Mark Cyza as he contemplates with St. Francis the incredible reality that God is “Never-Enough,” which means simply that He is Love. http://www.discerninghearts.com/?p=13016
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