Too Much Of A Good Thing

Too Much of a Good Thing

People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD.

Proverbs 19:3

If you’ve ever been with a child who is trying to pick out toys to buy with birthday money, then you’ve seen a picture of the phrase too much of a good thing. Instead of bringing about thankfulness, sometimes an abundance of things only makes us want more. And then—when we don’t feel satisfied or fulfilled with what we have—we may blame God for not doing enough for us. This is a great concern in the Amish community.

Parents worry that instead of their children learning the value of money and hard work, they will become slothful and self-indulgent. “In my generation,” recalled one great-grandfather, “nobody had enough money to buy a car, or even go to town and buy drinks. What little we did earn went to our parents until we came of age at twenty-one. Now young people are making big money and many of them are keeping all of it for themselves.” A father made a similar point: “When I was a boy, our parents kept what we earned until we were twenty-one and responsible enough to spend it wisely. They would save as much as they could on our behalf until we came of age. It was also a good way to be sure we didn’t spend it on cars and such foolishness. My own son has worked in construction for the past three years, and he has nothing to show for it. I’m sure that he has wasted $45,000 on vehicles and other foolishness.” An Indiana father lamented the fact that “our boys working in factories can earn $1000 or $1200 a week. It’s not good for them.”

Have you ever been angry at God because you’ve made a foolish mistake? Have you gotten yourself into a pickle and then turned to God and pleaded for rescue? Just like any young person we sometimes make foolish choices, but like loving parents, the best thing God can do is allow us to learn from the consequences.

Dear heavenly Father, please forgive me for the times I’ve made foolish choices and then blamed You for not helping out or answering my prayers.