Enjoy What You Have

Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of desire. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Ecclesiastes 6:9

In his book Racing to Win, NFL coach and racecar owner Joe Gibbs recounts some of his financial failures. As a young coach seeking to make more money, he invested in three different ventures, all of which failed—the last taking nearly five years of frugal living to pay off. It was only after he started seeking God instead of wealth that he became successful.

When Benjamin Franklin wrote that “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,” he might have been paraphrasing King Solomon, who wrote that “a living dog is better than a dead lion” (Ecclesiastes 9:4). In other words, God’s provision is far more secure than something that exists only in our dreams and fantasies. Solomon also said that “the hand of the diligent makes rich” (Proverbs 10:4). Get-rich-quick schemes are a dime a dozen, and they usually confirm the old saying, “If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.” Focus today on your work and enjoying the fruits of your labor. Both are gifts from God.

Truth is better than time, talent, and treasure. The truth of abundant life is about enjoying what we have been given, not lusting after what we have not.