When I Just Want More

On my way home today, the car in front of me had a bumper sticker that said in bold capital letters, "WANT LESS." In fact, they had a ton of bumper stickers, promoting peace, love, and you can guess the rest. But all the way home I thought about WANT LESS. I knew what they meant, that if we desire less material possessions and are content with what we have, we will buy less, put less of a strain on the environment, avoid greed and a consumer mentality, create a smaller carbon footprint, and eventually find ourselves living a simpler and supposedly happier life. I don't buy it. I want more, no matter what I try to tell myself. More, more, more, the little girl inside this grown woman screams! I want more fun, more rest, more time with friends, more time with my family, more time to read, newer clothes, a cleaner house, a better car, more guacamole and tortilla chips! I am positive that there is a shrieking little girl inside you, too, but you might be better at keeping yours quiet than I am. What does she want? Why won't she stop yelling? Maybe she thought being a grown-up, being a mom, having a job, being married would be different than it is. And how much guacamole does it take to make her happy? I have not figured that out yet. It's never enough, just like everything else. So how can we have more, more, more? I'm never going to want less; let's just embrace that truth right now. I am teaching preschool these days, and my students love the song "River of Life." It has everything they want: yelling, jumping, hand motions. We sing it several times a day, and one thing they wanted to know right away was the meaning of "abundantly." I told them it means having more than you need. God gives us life abundantly; He gives us much more than we need. This is what my angry little inner preschooler needs to hear. God promises me more than I need; he wants to bless me! "How abundant are the good things that You have stored up for those who fear You, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you." Psalm 31:19 "They celebrate Your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness." Psalm 145:7 "And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8 God loves to bless, to equip, to load up his children with more than they need. He loves it! He is the God of more. My heart longs for more in my life because what I can get for myself will never be enough. I'm not holding my breath for the new car or personal guacamole chef to follow me around (seriously, if I win the lottery that I never play, that's the first thing), but I know God has poured out bucketfuls of peace on me lately. He has made sure I have more energy for my family when I get home from work. He has given me cartloads of patience to wait for things I need. His blessings are more than enough, and make what I have in the moment more than I could have imagined. Psalm 128:1-2 says "Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to Him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours." God, help me to remember that you are always the more that I long for.