I know a retired businessman who lives in Ireland. He told me that about two years before the collapse of the economic boom known as the Celtic Tiger he said to himself, ‘I do not need to make by business any bigger. I do not need to take any more risks. I am content with what I have. I have enough.’ He said that it was this decision to accept that he had enough which saved his business when the downturn came and which ensured that he had some financial security in his retirement.
In the scriptures on the first Sunday of Lent we hear the story of what is referred to as the fall. Adam and Eve were not able to say, ‘We have enough.’ Even though they were surrounded by beauty, were at peace with themselves and one another and experienced friendship with God, they still wanted more. They wanted to be like God, they wanted to have the knowledge and the power of God. Because they were not willing to accept their humanity, Adam and Eve ended up losing the harmony and intimacy they had enjoyed.
In the scriptures on the first Sunday of Lent we also hear the account of the temptations of Jesus in the desert. The devil offered Jesus possessions, power and popularity as a programme for happiness. Unlike Adam and Eve, Jesus was able to say to the devil, ‘I have enough. I am the Father’s beloved Son. I have my belovedness. I do not need to build my life around accumulation, achievement and the approval of others. I do not need to get my value from these things, nor do I need to be defined by them.’
During the season of Lent we are offered an opportunity to say, ‘I have enough. I have enough material possessions. I have enough power. I have enough popularity.’ In fact, Lent invites us to let go of the control that accumulation, achievement and the need for human approval can have over us. The truth is we are not what we have, we are not what we do and we are not what other people think of us. We are God’s beloved sons and daughters and the Father takes delight in us. Jesus knew who he was. Do we? Jesus was able to say, ‘I have enough.’ Can we?