We Will Never Have Enough

Fr. John Cusick, Director
Young Adult Ministry Office

If the recession has taught us anything in the last few years, it has taught us that we will never have enough. Circumstances can change so quickly and their impact can be dramatic. If you lose your job, for how long will you have enough money to pay your bills? Can I keep paying off those college loans, the mortgage, or the car payments? My property is no longer an asset. It has become a liability. Will I ever save enough to afford a mortgage?

Interestingly, the worry or concern of never having enough might have become very clear during the last few years, but it is not relegated to “hard times.” Have you ever heard someone tell you they have enough? Be honest. I will bet the answer is never or at best rarely.

Even in the affluence of America and the phenomenal opportunities presented to many of us, we have a mindset burned into us that we live in a world of scarcity. Save for that rainy day. You never know what lies ahead.

There is a spiritual principle that challenges that mindset: life is not about how much you have, but about how generous you are.

In a world of scarcity, generosity is a problem. If we are too generous, we may not have enough for ourselves when we really need it.

In a world of abundance (the world of Christ), generosity can (and should) be a way of life.

So, we really live in two worlds. We live in a world of scarcity. We live in a world of abundance. We live in a physical world. We live in a spiritual world.

There is a world inside us that challenges the world outside us. The world inside us, the dwelling place of God, is filled with more life than we can possible imagine. We never need to hold back. We will always have more than enough.

Look at Christ. Did he ever not forgive? Did He ever say, “I wish I could forgive you, but if I do, I may not have enough forgiveness to use on myself”? He poured the bread of life, the living water, the spirit of God into everyone and anyone He could.

Can you do that? Can you be generous as a Lenten practice between now and Holy Week?

Give a little extra to a charity. You will still have enough.

Be generous with your praise to colleagues at work.

Make time for a friend.

Spend (extra) time with a parent or sibling.

Practice the presence of God an extra ten minutes.

Get to church ten minutes early next Sunday. Sit and be still.

Pass around some extra “thanks.”

Run an extra mile.

Add ten minutes to your workout.

Remember….

Life is not about how much you have, but about how generous you are.

If you believe that and do that, you will have more than enough!

Give it a try today!

Fr. John Cusick