Thursday, December 12, 2013

Enough is Enough

When I first read the material for my Bible study this week, the word ENOUGH jumped out at me.  My first thought was of something my Mom used to say to me and my siblings when we were much younger and being quite disobedient, "I told you I had enough of that behavior, and enough is enough!"  I learned pretty quickly that this exclamation was a precursor to discipline; if things had progressed this far my Mom's capacity for our misbehavior was completely full!

As I thought back to those days, I realized it was a perfect way to understand the word "enough" and how it applied to my relationship with God.  I looked up some dictionary definitions of the word enough and found these: 

"Sufficient to meet a need or satisfy a desire"
 "Equal to what is needed"
 "An adequate number or quantity"

My mother was completely saturated with our bad behavior--she did not need to experience any more of it--her cup was full!  That is exactly the kind of fullness we are promised when we are told "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2Cor 12:9) or "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:19) These verses assure us that God is enough; we can even plug His name into the definitions above and see that it reads just like these texts:

My God is sufficient to meet my needs or satisfy my desires
My God is equal to what I need
My God is an adequate amount or quantity

I know some people might argue that the last definition of God as enough seems kind of lame, but I would disagree.  God IS an adequate amount or quantity.  He is the perfect fit--never more or less than what we need.  Yes, His love overflows in our lives but He is never intrusive or obnoxious or "in your face" about anything--He is always exactly what is needed.  

When we think of God that way, we realize that "Enough is Enough" is the perfect description of God's presence in our lives.  Whether He is providing wisdom for the difficult choices, strength for the impossible tasks, or peace for the unbearable storms, He is always exactly what is needed.  

"Enough is Enough" also brought to mind what God called Himself as He met Moses in the desert at the burning bush.  "I AM that I AM"  I've always loved this name of God because it really captures the essence of God in these few short words.  God is God; He is everything.  Because of that, God is always Enough.