Tip of My Iceberg

When the grands come for a visit, whether long-term or short, Papa John loves to provide treats and surprises. He’s incredibly adept at choosing what will delight the hearts of those in the house. You can easily tell this because their joy turns to screeches of delight,

One of John’s new finds were huge bins of cheese balls. I’d never seen them before–they’re not something I’d typically shop for. But they accomplished what he intended–they loved them. The yellow fingers coated with cheesy goodness also left their mark on everything they touched.

Scout, at two, turned delight into a whole new art form as he sought the delectable golden balls wherever I hid them. His cleverness knew no bounds when he was pursuing what he longed for. We walked in to see him trying desperately to pour them down his throat, a much quicker way of ingesting his desired treats.

We all long for what we want, the things that are desirable to us. Acquisition, of fame, fortune, or power, can draw us into a cycle of wanting, getting, never feeling like it’s enough, always wanting more.

It’s part of our nature to desire–people and relationships, joy in what we do and how we work, the things required to live life such a roof over our heads, food, clothing. We may have what we need, but we may not be satisfied with it.

King Solomon was known as the wisest man who ever lived. In 1 Kings 3:9, after God had asked him what he longed for, Solomon was grateful for the opportunities he’d already had, for what he saw as important–taking care of his people, the people of Israel.

“Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern Your people well and know the difference between right and wrong For who by himself is able to govern this great people of Yours?”

Solomon asked for wisdom to govern the people he’d been entrusted with. His heart was to do the right thing–but right things can sometimes go astray. He’d been told by God to not multiply wives or horses–his father had been the warrior and he was to be the peace keeper. He knew the strength of being content with what he had. He said,

“Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless–like chasing the wind.” Ecclesiastes 6:9

God had also given him wealth, and slowly, with all he had, Solomon chose to multiply other things in his life. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines, women he truly believed he loved. He had 1,200 chariots, 12,000 horsemen, and all the horses needed for his men. Power and wealth derailed him.

The desire we have for more of anything often derails us as well.

Scout’s bout with cheese puffs won’t hurt him more than a bit of a belly ache and super yellow fingers.

For us, discontent with what we have that leads us to want more will rarely provide true satisfaction. We hunger after what’s important to us. If quantity alone drives us, we’ll become like Solomon who accumulated to the point of imposing heavy taxes and labor demands on his people to continue to build what he had. For him, it was never enough. Our demands in life typically are impositions to others.

When is enough enough?