Enough already

Dave Schrock-Shenk

Sometimes I get tired thinking about poverty. As a global educator for Mennonite Central Committee, I need to know how many hungry, homeless, hurting people there are in the world. I do research, write articles and give sermons to raise awareness of the needs of the world and how we can respond.

But when I go home at night, I want to kick back and enjoy myself. I want to play with my son and talk with my wife and read books. Sometimes I want to spend money on a fun vacation.

I don't think there is anything wrong with that. Saying "Life is meant to be enjoyed" is a statement of faith. I believe we were created by God to live joyful, satisfied lives.

God created the earth that provides the resources we need to meet our physical needs. God gave us the ability to work and to play and the urge to build relationships with others, enjoy nature and create art. Life is good, and we honour God when we enjoy it.

But life is not good for everyone. Around the world, many of God's children do not have the material goods they need to live the lives God intends for them. They do not have enough food or water, enough to wear, enough shelter, enough medical care or education. About 1 billion people live in this global lower class.

Another 1 billion people have more material goods than they need. They live in large houses, drive cars, get much of their protein from meat and wear new clothes. Yet many of these people are dissatisfied, and want even more things! Like most Mennonites and Brethren in Christ in North America, I belong to this global upper class.

But what can I do about that? The gulf between me and those at the bottom seems too big. No matter what I do, no matter how much I give, it never seems to close the gap. Do we have to choose between enjoying life and caring about God's children who are suffering and dying in Yugoslavia or Zaire?

We do not honour God if we turn our back on God's suffering children. Neither do we honour God by allowing global realities to rob us of the joy of living. We must find a way to do enough.

For me, doing enough starts by living with enough. In a world meant to provide for all God's children, I want to use only my fair share of the earth's resources. Choosing enough is tough. Our culture tells us we can never have enough. We are surrounded with ads designed to create discontent with what we have and to encourage us to buy more. We have to choose whether to believe the advertisers or God. The ads tell us more things will make us happy. God promises that learning to be satisfied with enough will bring us great joy: "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" (I Timothy 6:6-8).

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