After Katrina came through in ‘05, I was given the opportunity to rebuild my library by looking through boxes of generously donated books. One of the books I received was Christy by Catherine Marshall. I had no interest in the “girlie-sounding” book. But being bored one day, I picked it up and began to read. I was quickly surprised, because I had no idea the great Christian themes that I would find within its pages.
The story is about Christy, a young woman who chooses to go into the Appalachian Mountains to do mission work among the mountain people who lived there. On considering why she had come to the mountains to do missions… “My mind went back to my life in Asheville. Teas and receptions and ladies’ genteel talk. Church on Sunday mornings. Shopping and dress fittings. Dance-parties and picnics in the summer. A good enough life, only what did it all mean?”
Do you ever feel like all you have is a “good enough life”?
I want something more than good enough. I want excitement, joy, blessing, full contentment, abundant life.
But too often I settle for “good enough.”
Christy continued: “Where was it leading? There must be more to life than that. Or is there…? What was I born for, after all? I have to know. If I stayed at home…I don’t think I ever would know. Mother and father didn’t understand my eagerness, why I had wanted to come before I’d graduated. But I couldn’t wait forever.”
How many times have I told God “No” and kept myself from going on the adventures He was calling me to begin? There is always an excuse we can find. God is calling us into an abundant life full of those things that I said I wanted – excitement, joy, blessing, and full contentment. I hope you won’t wait forever to go on the adventure that God is calling you into. When we answer His call on our lives, we will find true, abundant life full of explosive joy.
Until then, when you fill your days and life with things that are good enough, I hope you will realize that good enough is not sufficient, because He wants you to discover abundant life in Him. That won’t always be safe, secure, or full of material wealth, but it will be exciting and bring you full contentment!
— brian rushing