<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, \u2019tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church door; but \u2019tis enough, \u2019twill serve\u201d (William Shakespeare).<\/p>\n
SUFFICIENCY IS NO SMALL THING. If what has been provided is \u201cenough\u201d or it\u2019s \u201cadequate,\u201d then we shouldn\u2019t look down on it or fail to be thankful. If we\u2019ve gotten to the point where we feel that what is \u201csufficient\u201d is somehow less than we deserve, then our affluence is probably hurting us more than it\u2019s helping us. And if, in our work, we feel insulted when someone describes our output as \u201csufficient,\u201d then we may have gotten too high-minded for our own good.<\/p>\n
To be sure, excellence is a worthy ideal, and if you know me, you know I\u2019m not recommending mediocrity. The person who is content to do less than his best needs to get off his derriere and start doing better. But if I\u2019ve done my best and my best is sufficient, then I shouldn\u2019t see my effort as anything less than honorable. For all the talk done by those who promise excellence, the world could do with a few more folks who actually deliver sufficiency!<\/p>\n
In my estimation, some of the greatest people who contribute to the world are those who quietly go about the business of supplying \u201csufficiency\u201d in all their relationships. They don\u2019t have press agents. They don\u2019t get standing ovations. And they don\u2019t receive awards. But they do what their more prominent peers often don\u2019t do: they deliver the goods.<\/em> Adequately and dependably. Day in and day out.<\/p>\n Our talk of \u201cexcellence\u201d is often a substitute for \u201csufficient\u201d work. If you hear someone saying they\u2019re too talented to work for the minimum wage, you\u2019d expect they might be making much more than that. All too often, though, that person has made less net income, over the long term, than the minimum-wage worker. \u201cSufficient\u201d income is a blessing. As Aesop told us long ago, the tortoise often reaches the goal (and a comfortable retirement) faster than the hare.<\/p>\n So how is it with us in our own lives? All of us have people \u2014 friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, etc. \u2014 whose lives are affected by what we do. Our relationship with these people is such that they depend on us to supply certain necessities. If we wish to provide more than what\u2019s \u201csufficient,\u201d that\u2019s fine \u2014 but our loved ones shouldn\u2019t have to worry about receiving any less than that.<\/p>\n \u201cEnough is as good as a feast\u201d (John Heywood).<\/p>\n Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n