I know, I know. It’s been such a long time since I’ve posted here (more than a month if you’re keeping track) it is a wonder that you haven’t given up on me completely and stopped checking in to see if I’d ever write anything again. Well sheesh people, give me a break! Work has been crazy (we just finished a major project that took three times longer to complete than was initially estimated), the weekends have been full (not that laser tag, movies, and barbeques are anything to complain about), and in general I just have a lot going on (you know how it goes). But hey, I’m back, so there’s something to put a smile on yo face.

Lately there has been a lot of talk about how we (namely Americans) have too much. An overabundance, an excess, a superfluous amount. And I’d have to agree, it’s true. I spend more money than I need to, eat more than I need to, and have much more than I need to (if only I’d write half as much as I need to). In fact, when I checked out this site: Global Rich List I found out I’m in the top 0.82% of the richest people in the world. Kinda mind boggling when you think about it. But I’ve already spoken upon such things before and I’m sure I’ll talk about them again. Instead, I want to look at the positive side of the issue.

It isn’t always wrong to want more, as long as you’re wanting more of the right thing. I’ve written previously on the importance of seeking contentment in all things, but I think it is also wise to be guarded against falling into complacency. The hunger for more has both good and bad sides. There is an art to being satisfied with what you have and yet not being being content to stop seeking more. It seems humans have an inherent desire for more, sometime with disastrous results and sometimes with great benefit. However, if given the right motives, the right drive, the right source of power and influence, it is amazing the great things we can accomplish. In fact, Ephesians 3:20,21 states:

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

I remember hearing the saying (or something close to it) that “If you want to be what you’ve never been you have to do the things you’ve never done.” Growth rarely happens by doing the same thing over and over. It’s when we push ourselves, when we strive for more, when we become more committed to the things that matter do we really allow that change to happen inside us. One way toward this goal is learning how to cultivate the things which are beneficial in our lives and to ditch the thing that aren’t. We also must obtain the wisdom to determining which is which. I don’t think we should ever stop wanting more, after all, we’ve been given a craving that can’t be satisfied on this planet. But this desire must be for the right reasons. Is it for our glory, our personal gain, or for God’s? That’s what we should consider in our ever expanding quest for more.

I hope to have the wisdom to know when to say, “I don’t need this anymore” or, “it is enough” and when to decide that something is worth pursuing for the rest of my life.

Oh yeah, happy Memorial Day. Be thankful for our soldiers. The things they’ve done are pretty remarkable and I really can’t fathom where we’d be without their sacrifices.