“The knowledge of enough.” That’s the way a group of nomads high in the Himalayas of Eastern Bhutan define contentment. (Cordaro) In a world striving for more… getting more… striving for more than that, enough is a novel concept.
How much is enough?
To that nomadic Himalayan tribe that had no access to outside modern influences, enough was what they had, no matter how much or how little. In his letter to the Phillipians, Paul talks about his path to contentment.
Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Phillipians 4:11-13)
That’s not the case for the rest of us. Today’s society has a skewed view of contentment. We learn early in life that the goal is more not the knowledge of enough. Whatever you have, there’s always more. You get your first job in high school and earn enough to buy your first car. As soon as you have it, you start saving for the next one…a newer, faster, fancier vehicle. Then when you get that, what happens? You guessed it. Looking ahead to the next.
what’s it take the have “the knowledge of enough?”
It’s never enough.
It may not necessarily be a car. For you it may be clothes. Or a house. Maybe even jewelry.
I think back to when I was in junior high. The status symbol was to be wearing jeans with the correct tag on the back. In my tiny, rural school it was hard to imagine where the influence for that came from. But, if you turned on the television in the late 80s, MTV showcased the “influencers” of the day sporting what was “cool.”
Now influencers are everywhere. “The knowledge of enough” is nearly nonexistent. You open your phone and you see someone who has all the things. And they’re smiling. That must be what contentment looks like? What you need to realize that in the edited world of social media, reality isn’t real. What you see on your screen is what someone wants you to see.
Regardless of how much or how little we expose ourselves to the influence of the outside world, comparison is a trap that catches us all at some point. The sooner we realize it is a game we can’t win, the sooner we can find true contentment. Through the source of our joy…Jesus.
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2)
find enough in what you have
Why don’t you try something? Rather than comparing, pray for the power to see the blessings in your life. I know that can be extremely difficult at times. When we are struggling to pay the bills, when we have a health condition, when we’ve gone through a great loss, it may be nearly impossible to look at what you have and not want more. Start small. If you woke up today, thank God for that. If the sun is shining, be thankful. Rain is pouring down? Be grateful that rain makes things grow. It really is a matter of perspective.
There’s a quote that says, “Don’t be sad it’s over, be happy it happened.”
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:6-12)
Make the choice today. Seek “the knowledge of enough.” Find contentment in Jesus.
Work Cited – Cordaro, Daniel. “What If You Pursued Contentment Rather Than Happiness?” Greater Good Science Center, 27 May 2020, https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_if_you_pursued_contentment_rather_than_happiness. Accessed 24 June 2022.