Finding Enough
When life feels like too much or you feel like too little
Introduction
Does life ever feel like it’s too much? Or, put another way, do you feel as though you are not enough? This week’s edition of The Adventure of Reflection focuses on “Enough-ness” -- that beautifully satisfying place of contentment and sufficiency. It is a wonderful condition of the mind, spirit, and heart, but the experience of “enough-ness” is incredibly elusive. I pray you find your way there by reading some of what I offer you here.
A Minute of Motivation
TODAY
If we fill our hours with regrets of yesterday and with worries of tomorrow, we have no room today in which to be thankful.
Do you live in the past, feeling guilty for things done or left undone, ruining today with that which they cannot change? Learn from the past for how it can benefit today, and let go of it.
Or, are you often worrying about the future – something you cannot control? You can only influence the course of today, which will influence the course of the future. Think of the future only in terms of what you can do TODAY to make it the best future possible.
Learn from the past.
Plan for the future.
But live TODAY.
Enjoy Life More
Find the Eye (of the Storm)
I admit to being a bit of a stress junkie. I don’t rest or recreate well. If life were a test of how much stress one could handle, I would strive for the highest score possible. I have been known to say, “it’s better to wear out than rust out.” I enjoy being busy and productive. I don’t have a problem saying “no” to things I don’t want to do; I just say “yes” to many things I DO want to do. Consequently, my life often feels like too much. Perhaps you can relate to being like me, or perhaps you are just in a season where life feels like too much for you to manage.
In the midst of any hurricane, even if of one’s own making, there is an eye. In the middle of any stormy season of life there is a place of sanctuary in the center. The winds may be swirling wildly all around, but there is place of complete calm in the middle of the storm. Finding it is the key to enjoying life more in the storm.
How do I find the eye? Sometimes I repeat the phrase “All is well.” I focus on my breathing, drawing in slow, deep amounts of replenishing air. The eye of the storm isn’t a place to move to, it’s a state of being to invite wherever and whenever calm is needed.
All is well. I have enough. Today is good.
Faith Corner
Jesus said, “My grace is enough for you.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
Six words. The focus word is “grace” – a love that is unfailing and undeserved and delivers the riches of eternity and the limitless storehouses of the invisible.
I was a math minor as an undergraduate. Of all the equations I have learned, there is only one, learned outside of college, that is superior to all others:
God + Me = Enough.
The words of Jesus remind me of that equation. If I leave God out of my life the equation becomes:
Me < Enough. I am not enough without God. I am inadequate and weak alone.
Another equation I like is:
God > My problems. This reads: God is greater than my problems. If there is something in your life right now that feels like too much I suggest you substitute “my problems” with your situation:
God is greater than [fill in the blank].
Lord, thank You for being enough for me. Thank You for being greater than anything troubling me right now. Help me to know that You are enough. Help me to trust that You are stronger than my problems. Thank You for loving me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Poetry Pause
Only Crumbs
Everyone I love is hurting, and I feel their pain.
From the deep desire to help and comfort them,
I reach inside of myself for something to give—
Crumbs.
All I have are crumbs.
I wake up each day and I am hurting.
From the depths of my heart, mind, and spirit,
I reach inside of myself for something to use—
Crumbs.
All I have are crumbs.
My husband, my children, and my friends,
I know you are hurting.
I reach inside of myself for something to help—
Crumbs.
All I have are crumbs.
Crumbs are not enough for you.
Crumbs are not enough for me.
And yet….
I pray a blessing on these crumbs:
“Lord, be in these crumbs—
Turn them into a banquet.
Please take my ‘not enough’
And make it ‘more than enough.’
Lord, be in my crumbs.”
By Cindy MacGregor, 7/20/2020
Note. I wrote this poem a few months into the 2020 pandemic. I offer it here for those times when the needs around you feel like too much and you feel like not enough.
Old Mom to Young Mom
Go take a nap!
Being a parent is exhausting. Adults often marvel at the amount of energy a small human being has, running about with tremendous enthusiasm; their parents have to keep up with them! Then, when children are old enough, parents drive them around to practices, events, rehearsals, and games. Even when children are old enough to drive themselves, parents often stay up late, unable to sleep until their offspring are safely back at home.
I am an old mom now. My daughters are parents of their own children. I visit whenever I am able to, despite many miles of geographic distance. During almost every visit I offer to watch my grandchildren while my daughters get some rest. As they shuffle off to take a nap, they typically apologize. There’s no need. Taking a nap is one of the smartest uses of time for parents.
Thus, my advice to you today is simply this: Take a nap. The laundry can wait. Dust is a protective covering for furniture. Facebook can function without you. If you are tired (and you probably are), find a way to take a nap.
Taking care of children is hard work. Take care of yourself and get some extra rest when you can. There is enough of you for this “job” of being a parent. Find that enough-ness by getting more rest.
Dear Dr. Mac
After I receive questions from readers I will offer those questions and my responses in this section. The email to write to me is: drcjmacgregor@outlook.com .