Perhaps you have heard the story of the wealthy businessman who on a brief holiday to a lonely island encounters a poor fisherman, and buys some fish from him. The fish is magnificent, better tasting than anything the wealthy man had eaten before. He immediately interrogates the fisherman – where did he catch this, was it unusual? The fisherman assured him that it was a typical days catch – nothing out of the ordinary.
Quick to see the commercial potential in this find, the businessman gets deeper into conversation with the poor man and asks how he spends his time The man replies that he spends several hours fishing with his friends each day, and that they keep some of the catch for themselves and sell the rest to pay their expenses. Most days are spend chatting with friends, enjoying the beach and raising his family.
“Oh you can do so much more,” the wealthy business man assures him. “If you listen to me, I will help you to set up a huge fishing business. In no time you will earn enough money to buy more boats, we could set up branches all around the islands, you could employ hundreds, no thousands of people. We will ship your fish around the world. It will take effort and very hard work, but in the end, you will have made it.”
“And what will I be able to do when I have made it?” asked the fisherman.
“Well,” said the businessman, “you’d be able to stop work, and go fishing with your friends, and enjoy the beach and help raise your family. It would be the life everyone dreams of.”
The businessman never did understand why the fisherman looked at him as though he was very strange, and walked away…
It’s an interesting tale, and perhaps a little naive in the way it idealises a simple lifestyle, but the underlying point is important. When do we have enough, and do we know when we do? The word that has been bouncing around in my head is “sufficiency” – that wonderful space where I don’t have so much that I become terrified that I might lose it, but nor am I desperately worried that my needs will not be cared for. And talking of needs, how can I be sure I have prioritised them correctly? Is there a dollar amount that can be attached to “time with family and friends” – or is that question deeply flawed?
A true story. Many years ago I was principal of a Bible College in South Africa. We had some amazing students, and tried to stretch and grow each of them. To my dismay, one of the most gifted students came to me and said, “I’m going to have to leave. I am so sorry. I love it here – but I’m working so, so hard and I can’t juggle marriage, family and studies. It’s just not working anymore.” That same day I had graded one of her essays. It was amazing – from memory I had given it a 97% – and those who have been my students know that is something I do only in the most unusual circumstances – the work has to be truly exceptional. It was. “How many hours did you spend working on this?” I asked. While I forget the exact answer, it was a staggering number. “You do realise that if you put in half that number, you would still have passed easily… actually, let’s face it, you would probably still have got a distinction. I don’t usually say this to students – but stop working so hard. Much better to get a few marks less, and to finish your studies and have a family that holds together, than to get 97% and then drop out.”
My answer sat uneasily with her. Yes, there was an insecure perfectionist inside of her, worried that if she did anything that was less than amazing, she would no longer matter. Many of us struggle with that. She stayed, but her work was always outstanding. I hope her family did not pay too high a price.
True, some see it very differently. At that same Bible College I remember a less academically inclined student looking at the 54% I had awarded to his essay and saying, “well that was a wasted 4%. I only needed 50.” He wasn’t entirely joking. Much of his life was spent in pursuit of finding the magical “enough, but not one iota more”, mark.
Here are some verses worth pondering. Try Proverbs 30:8 “give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.” Then there is “Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened ox where there is hatred” (Proverbs 15:17). And what about Jesus’ teaching in Matt 6:25-34? He advises us to think about the lilies of the field, which are effortlessly beautiful. He is talking about finding the right rhythm for life, one where we focus on what matters most, and are able to trust God for the rest. He is confident that if we seek first God’s kingdom, everything else will find its rightful place.
Sufficiency – it sounds a touch blah and ordinary… though I am not suggesting we should have no ambition or drive. Goodness, I encourage you to repost this blog and to forward it to others… it’s part of my ambition to see each post being read by more. For all that, sometimes the quest for an elusive amazing leaves us without time or energy for the things that ultimately matter most. And perhaps one of the most amazing things in life is to know when we have enough, and to be deeply contented with that…
Nice chatting…
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