How much is enough?

My newly adopted son Matthew has only been an American for about 3 weeks, but he is getting used to the perks. Coming from the poorest area, of the second poorest country in the world, you might think that it would take him some time to look for the “extras” in life. But it didn’t. Because that’s just not in our human nature. Yesterday he asked me for some water. “Wahalu, wahalu!” I started to pour out water from the tap (as I would do for myself). “NO! NO!” He then pointed to the fridge, where the Brita filtered water is kept. I started pouring from it. “Yes, daddy, yes...Wahalu.”

I smiled but cringed at the same time.

In his shared bedroom with his older brother Micah, he began to point out the discrepancies. He is not able to rationalize that his siblings have been storing up stuff for many years, and he has only had 3 weeks to do so. He pointed to the closet full of his brother’s stuff, and then he said: “Micah’s.” He pointed to three of the dresser drawers: “Micah’s, Micah’s, Micah’s. He pointed at the trophies and the things on top of the dresser: “Micah’s.” On and on this went.

This observation has little to do with my son Matthew, but has everything to do with our human condition. We may start out naked and without any possessions, but we learn very quickly to desire that which is better than what we currently have. We want more and more, better and better. We want what the other person has. We want and want and want. We are unsatisfied people who can never get enough. When we get more, we are unhappy still, and start looking for what's next.

That is, until we sit at the feet of Jesus and be still. We look up to him with pleasure and delight. We realize how fully satisfying he truly is. We ponder all that he has done for us in the past, and all that he will do for us in the future. The stuff begins to fade into the background. It slowly becomes Him alone. It is simply…Jesus.

Only…Jesus.