Enough is enough

Luke 6

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That symbol is part of a marketing campaign by the New Balance shoe company. They would like for you to buy their “minimal” athletic shoes for running and working out at the Y. Most of us had enough arithmetic to read the mathematical sentence: “Less than equals greater than.” Or, in the terms of the ad campaign, “Less is more.”

I like that thought, even if it does come from a company that wants me to buy more stuff while emphasizing simplicity and less (ironic, no?). I like anything that de-emphasizes the cultural pressure to acquire, add to the pile, and collect. In our context, there should be no reason to doubt the existence of hoarders--folks trapped in the drive to add things to their overflowing piles of stuff--no wonder reality TV finds them. We are told everywhere to get more, buy bigger, and overdo it. We can buy what we need for cheaper (by item) costs at places like Costco, but we have to buy in bulk, amassing fifty rolls of paper towels to spend less per roll--thank goodness paper towels have no expiration date! Recently, I got a sandwich at Publix, and on a whim, got it as part of a combo. It cost less per item, but the drink--the SMALL drink--was a thirty ounce behemoth. I did not need thirty ounces of soda with my lunch. And so it goes--we are told to SUPERSIZE, things we need only come in packages of more stuff than we can use, and, sadly, signs of success are having so much stuff we need to rent space to store it--maybe miles from home where we will never see it. 

Enough.

Lately, I have been struggling with the Gospel of Luke.

Unsolicited ad--I will be sharing Luke with anyone who wants to join me on Wednesday evenings--bring a supper and join me--it will be interesting!

In Luke, Jesus says things that shake me to my boots. Luke radically remembers the Beatitudes far differently from Matthew--Luke recalls Jesus blessing the poor, the hungry, and the broken--not the figurative forms of these states, but the literal states of being emptied, impoverished, and needy. Repeatedly, in the Gospel, Jesus chastises those who have a lot, demanding that they empty themselves of all they have to alleviate the suffering of the poor. Jesus, according to Luke, even went so far as to curse the better off (you can’t escape the woes in Lk. 6:24-26). Luke makes it emphatically clear that Jesus was not being metaphorical or hyperbolic in his statements--Jesus meant every word he said. So, as I said, I have been struggling mightily with the evangelist, trying to find the escape clause or the exception. 

There aren’t any in Luke’s theology--it is what it is. 

So, then, as I replaced my worn out running shoes, I saw a box with “< = >” on it. 

Revelation comes in weird places--any Old Testament prophet can tell you that. 

There are ways to let go of stuff. There are means by which to find freedom from being owned by what we own. There are ways to find that less is what we need. 

To help me keep from doing what Thomas Jefferson did--edit the Bible to get rid of the stuff he did not like--and to help me find peace in the presence of Luke--I am trying hard to live by a doctrine of ENOUGH. 

What is enough?

It is eating with the idea of what I really need to eat. I need a sandwich for lunch, not a half-gallon of soda, and I need a sandwich that is more vegetable than animal. In fact, most of my meals need to be more vegetable than animal. That is what I need. So, eat that way.

It is buying what I need. I need clothes for work, but  I do not need a galleria of clothes to work. I need a car to get me to work, to Virginia, to Atlanta, to Young Harris, and to run errands. I do not need a V-12 to do that. I need space to move kids in and out of school and to run my family here and there. I do not need eight seats. I need a house that has room for family, a place to study, a place to prepare meals and eat them, and a place to relax. 

It is trying to live in a way that does overemphasize anything. We need balance between work, family, rest, alone time, exercise, play, worship, and study. 

It is realizing that life is more meaningful and wondrous when we are not disconnected from the world. Generosity and sharing with others, ironically, leads to greater fullness, comfort, and peace. That means recognizing that as we care for the “Least of These,” we are actually enriching everyone, not losing our security or place or purpose, but realizing them. 

Luke is scary in his theology. 

But don’t run from him. He actually holds a key to finding peace, wholeness, and wellness.

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