When Is Enough Too Much?

Good question right?  Or we could ask “when is too much enough?”  Hmmm.  Well I think both questions depend upon the side of the elephant you’re looking at, or maybe another way of saying it is, it depends on what side of life you are on and specifically to what you are referring.  This subject has been on and off my mind, mostly on, since the last time I posted a message and today I finally have been able to slow down long enough to let my thoughts have their way with me. :-)  I’m thinking about a time I was on stage singing up a storm with some other stormy weather singing friends and I stomped my foot in excitement and voila!  My shoe broke.  Well I didn’t have an extra pair backstage, but my McGyver twin sister did.  So she not only loaned them to me, but she gave them to me.  She was (and often is) a life-saver that evening.

 Well, back in the states I used to have well over 80 pairs (when it’s more than one pair, do you add an “s” on the end?) of shoes of all shapes, colors and styles for all occasions.  For instance, I had at least five pairs of bedroom slippers for traveling from city to city, or just from upstairs to the basement to wash clothes.  Now some people in my life when they saw my shoes said I had too many, until they needed or wanted to borrow a pair.  Hmmmm (Four m’s that time.)  Then others who knew my lifestyle as a singer and minister knew I couldn’t have too many pairs of shoes, especially black ones, and they helped me from time to time find another good pair.  LOL!!  For me it was, and is an investment for you get only one pair of feet and it behooves you to take good care of them from the toenails to the ankles.  Faire attention!!  (That’s “be careful” in French.  In English that’s “pay attention”.)

 

Now because I had so many pairs of shoes, did that make me extravagant, wasteful, or maybe a collector?  Hmmm. Funny isn’t it that according to the glasses we’re wearing that’s how we view other’s lives and make judgments, not according to their needs, desires, dreams and wants, but according to ours?  Not a good idea I think. (Or a good idea I don’t think.)  Also funny how we can deem some people “collectors” with so many figurines in a glass cabinet where all they do is collect dust, have no utilitical (new word) value, but however a sentimental value for the person, and that’s okay.  But someone with beaucoup shoes, or clothing, or jewelry, or phones :-), or ear wax, etc.  Ahem is considered to be greedy or wasteful.  Again, what side of life are you on?  What’s happening in your yard that helps you make the decisions you do, for yourself and about others?  When is enough too much and when is too much enough?  Who gets to decide?  Who gets to say “when”?  <I get to decide for ME when it’s time to say when, with the help of my Lover Who resides within.  He may choose to use you, a special brother, sister or friend, to help open my eyes to the “mess” I’m in> (if it is indeed a mess.  I may need to just make a few changes.).  

 

Sometimes we do amass too many things, but it’s not always easy to tell, depending on what side of life we’re on.  Depending on what’s going on inside of ourselves we may see all as normal.  Until a change gon come finally happens.  Then the scales fall off.  This happened to a prominent figure in the New Testament book of Acts.  His name was Saul.  He was edu-ma-cated very highly on the PhD level.  He knew the law better than his fingernails, so he was sent on a mission by his superiors (only in position, for none of them could shake a stick at him and not be embarrassed because their stick was too small) to stop a certain “sect” of people from increasing and spreading some story that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.  Just think of that.  They were threatened by a story like that and sent him to beat, harass, close down, imprison, and even kill these disciples of the Christ.  One such man he did it to was called Stephen who got in the last word before he was stoned to death, while Saul watched and consented to his death.  Oh, that’s in Acts too, a wonderful and powerful story.

 

Well, feeling good and fine like he just drank some fine wine, Saul went on his way to find some more of these obnoxious folks that just kept multiplying the more he killed them.  And he noticed they would die with a smile on their faces proclaiming they could see God in heaven, the God he said he was killing them for!!  Go figure.  This just ain’t possible.  But it was.  But God had had enough of his shenanigans and He met Saul on this rue called “Damascus”.  Wahooo!!  I’m so glad he finally got to meet the God he was persecuting.  That’s what he was told.  Okay, God asked him “Saul, Saul why you player-hatin’ on me man?”  Saul asked Him “Who are YOU?”  God told him “I’m the one you hateratin’ and holleratin’ on day after day, killing my homies and my ladies.  What’s up wit dat?”  Saul realized he didn’t KNOW this God at all, for if he did, he wouldn’t have been killing these people he didn’t understand and didn’t like.

 

When is enough, enough?  When is enough too much?  When is too much enough?  Well, if you’re in a relationship of any kind, for example and you’ve been punched in the face or any other body part because the other person had alzheimers and forgot who you were; or if you’ve been stomped because the other person couldn’t put his or her prosthetic leg on correctly or fast enough to suit them; or if you’ve been lied to about the same ole thing two times (“Fool me once shame on you.   Fool me twice shame on me”.  Don’t know who said it first so I cannot put author in a footnote.);  hmmmm (count the m’s)  Or if you’ve given your “life” (i.e. monies, heart, soul, prayers, tears, time, energies, etc.) just to have them kick the chair out from under you or smack the horses rump and left you hanging from a noose (Mr. Ed would have returned to help you down, and Bonanza’s Hoss’ horse would have too), then enough is too much.

 

See, so many times we say this or that will never happen to us because we’re on the outside looking in.  Window shopping does not buy the shoes okay?  It’s when you’re inside you get to not only SEE, but feel and touch and be touched etc. by the good, the bad and the ugly.  Depending on what side of life is ON you and inside of you too affects how we will act, react and respond in certain situations.  All you can pray is that the Lord will keep you out of Saul’s way, because you know the tables got turned on him.  The folks that sent him, when they realized he stopped working for them, they wanted to kill him.  It has happened in real life too.  A wife or woman has been abused one too many times.  A child has been left home alone one too many times.  An employee has been made fun of, or not paid on time or at all and couldn’t pay his/her bills, one too many times.  These are the stuff (not stuffs, right?  LOL!) headlines are made of.  “Enough is too much”, which means it never should have happened in the first place.  Too much is enough means you’ve reached your capacity for making use of, or enjoying all the items you’ve accumulated and it’s time to stop collecting, or time to give things away before adding more.  Etc. whatever “give” means to you.  (I.e. having a yard sale is still giving it away for you bought that dress for more than five dollars girlfriend.  And you only wore it three times.  Now that’s a give-away.)

 

I’ll be honest with you, I’ve had plenty of things in my lifetime and I enjoyed every single thing I had.  I try never to buy anything I won’t enjoy or that someone else cannot use or enjoy if for some reason it doesn’t work for me when I get it home, or after I’ve outgrown it for whatever reason.  (No comments are invited on that statement.  I buy my own peanuts. LOL!)  Waste not want not whether it be you or for someone else.  (I’ll have to work on that one a little more.) :-)   I think it is the fabulous Donna Summers who sings “Enough is enough, I can’t go on no looooong-er”.  Well, sometimes we can go on longer, but we shouldn’t.  How many times have your friends and family told you to quit that job, or leave that neighborhood, or that relationship because they see how it is bringing you down and your health is suffering, your life is in jeopardy and all your cash has been dwindled to nothing trying to help somebody else?  Yes we seem to have a high tolerance level for other folk’s messes and we end up with not only a littler (by now you know I’se talk lak dat on purpose. LOL!!) stick, but the short end of THAT stick!  A few months ago I heard the Holy Spirit say in my heart “Enough!” and I knew it was time for a change. Not only did the Lord know I had reached my breaking point, but even He was tired.

 

God gives us grace to suffer long and long suffer, but every coupon has an expiration date.  All the foods on the shelf have an “eat by” date, then it’s time to poubelle it.  Some relationships are for a life time and those are the ones that not only take, but give and you find yourself the better for it, and so does the other person.  Some relationships need to stop before they ever get started.  Enough.  Some relationships are for short-term only and you must recognize when the soap’s all gone.  It’s time to get another bar. :-)  Stop rubbing your hands on the sink trying to get all the soap that’s stuck there.  Get another bar!  (I’m preaching to myself so don’t get offended.  Just print it for later when you might need it.  :-0)  We must learn not to fear change, even when we’re in a good situation, because sometimes it’s time to say “enough”.  Change is just that, change.  Making adjustments, throwing out this, rearranging that, moving to another city, country, house, status, flower pot etc.  It’s not always negative and neither is it always about putting people out of your life.  Sometimes it’s you changing and they leaving your life because they don’t like the new you.  They can no longer do to and with you what they did before and because they don’t want to change, they say “enough”.  We must learn the parts, sing in harmony, and end on a positive note.

Peace.