By Knowing Him
When Enough is Enough
Juanita Kretschmar
07/16/2008
None of us really know ourselves. We can’t imagine ourselves as Peter denying Jesus. Nor do we picture ourselves as the disciples who “forsook Him and fled” in Christ’s time of trouble, even though He told them it would happen.
But we wouldn’t do that, would we?
Would we do better than the rich young ruler whom Christ asked to give all? Haven’t we shown how much we love Him by our faithfulness when asked to give time, talents, and money? What about when we volunteered without being asked, started ministries, gave without receiving earthly credit, or gave every cent we had because we believed it would please Him?
When is enough enough with God? What more could He want?
For years I prayed with and counseled many people. I encouraged each of them to consciously make time for God first thing every day. I advised them to do three things during this time:
- speak to Him before speaking to another human, inviting His Holy Spirit to dwell within;
- take time to read from His Word before letting their eyes rest on anything else;
- listen to no other voice until His Word had spoken to their minds and hearts, until they had His peace and direction for the day.
Finally, I advised them that God is enough. Even if you’re having trouble in your life, He’ll give you strength and blessings to go on. And He’ll meet your needs, because you can’t out-give God.
I’ve told persons with unfulfilled dreams that God will be enough for them. My advice was always the same: put God first in your life, your time, your hearing, your thinking, and He will always be enough. You won’t have to worry about whether you’re “giving enough” or not. A complete life is about trusting Him.
Over the years I’d been told, “You don’t understand; you have a good marriage.” They were right, I didn’t understand. Then my turn came.
My dear husband, friend, lover, companion in life, my faithful human counselor and more, was snatched from me in death. Suddenly it was just God and I. Jesus knew my struggle, and spoke to my mind several times the day my husband died, saying, “If you don’t trust Me now, when are you going to trust Me?”
I didn’t break our morning time together, and I stayed with the ministry my husband and I had started with God, because there could be no other option. But intensely at first, and then from time to time, the enemy mocked my thoughts, telling me that God is not enough. I’ve had to fight that mockery over and over. The only way I have found relief in what has been my deepest time of trouble is to go at any moment to my God for help, because He knows me and yet loves me.
Life has become a choice to believe that He is enough, choosing to give Him the quiet early moments of each day when the future sometimes looks bewildering and my thoughts are hounded and even pounded by the enemy. It’s choosing Him as the One with whom you can truly communicate when there seems to be no one else on the planet safe to trust.
Time? Money? Talents? Somehow none of that seems to be the issue when you’ve given everything into His hands already. Do we need to fear what we will do when the future looks uncertain? I don’t think so. Just as He is here for us today, He’ll steady us tomorrow. He gave everything for us long before we gave Him anything. He knows us, loves us, and wants us with Him eternally.
It’s true. God is enough.