Contentment and Enough

One of my favorite places to eat is Jimmy John’s.  It’s a bit nostalgic for me as it started out in the town where I attended college, Charleston, IL.  Plus I love their subs and especially the signs around the restaurant.  I usually eat split a loaf of day old bread with a friend once a week here in Ft. Myers since it’s right next to the office.

There are a couple signs that are particularly apt for our society.  One says, “The gap between more and enough never closes.”  Another has a telling story of a poor fisherman and a Harvard business grad with essentially the same moral.

Contentment is difficult to cultivate these days.  We see in media these crazy mansions and amazing things to fill those mansions.  On Facebook and Google searches we have targeted advertising that know exactly what we want from our internet browsing history.  

It used to be a joke that commercials on TV were so outrageous; just buy this or that and then you’ll be happy.  Now it’s much more subtle than that.  Now it’s personalized advertising essentially.  Many millennials and Gen Xers no longer have cable so we don’t see advertising like we used to.  Marketers are a brilliant species though.  They quickly made the leap to advertising where millennials were, on Facebook and Google among other social networks and Hulu too I believe.

Most people know someone who has more stuff or nicer stuff than they have.  Similarly, most people know someone who has less stuff or lesser quality stuff.  The interesting thing is that we tend to compare ourselves always up, never down.

We see what others have and want it, or to use a Biblical word we covet.  Ironically, once we get whatever that thing is, we want more.  We buy new houses and very quickly find ourselves complaining about all that’s wrong with our new homes.  We buy new cars and the same thing applies.  At first new things seem awesome, the purchase itself can be quite intoxicating.  After a while though, usually very shortly, the shine wears off and we want something nicer or at least an upgrade.

I forget the rapper’s name but in the 90’s there was a rap song with the lyrics, “The mo’ money we come across, the mo’ problems we see.”  It seems to be so true to me.  People want bigger homes so they work hard and get raises or second jobs.  Then they buy the bigger house only to find out they need more furniture to fill the house.  Usually there’s more maintenance required too.  And once you start making more money, your tax rate goes up.

It applies to smaller things as well.  Electronics come to mind.  Seems like there’s always a newer version of a smartphone or tablet that has some new feature I want.  I have a perfectly fine tablet and smartphone, but that doesn’t keep me from wanting a newer and nicer one.

The truth is, I have more than enough.  I have clothes on my back, food in my belly, and a roof over my head.  More importantly, I have Jesus.  I’ve started trying to develop a habit with Steffani where at dinnertime we share 3 things we’re grateful for.  I did this to try and cultivate contentment that I felt was lacking in my life.  It helps shift the focus from what I don’t have to what I have.  It’s a great practice for us and I encourage you to do the same if you find yourself struggling with contentment like I often do.