Moderate Living

Scripture I'm reflecting on:  Proverbs 25:16
     "Do you like honey?
          Don't eat too much , or it will make you sick!"

Nottttt one of your typical "go to" devotional verses here.  I read over this phrase this evening and it gave me a little laugh at first read, as my first thought it too think of all the times I have gorged myself with way too big of a dinner.  I stopped after finishing the chapter though to reflect and pray on it a little bit, and I think there's actually a pretty simple yet powerful message in this verse.

Reflection:
Ever lose perspective on how great your life is?  I know I do.  Do we have more than we need in our life, "abundant honey" one might say?  Well, if you are reading this from your own computer then you have more "honey" than 95% of the world.  Will you be going to sleep in your own bed tonight?  Then you have more "honey" than 75% of the world.  You get the point.  Does this mean we should feel bad for our blessings.  Of course not.  But we should be thankful.  We should be grateful.  And we should think twice before when we find ourselves longing for more possessions, more power, more recognition, more attention.

What is something you have seen someone else have that you "longed for"?  A dress, shoes, car, job?  Just the other day someone was telling me how they became a member of a nice country club around here, and I remember thinking "How lucky is he, sure wish I could get on that golf course".  But is this really something I should be longing after?  The fact that I have the ability to play golf when I want to already in itself is more "honey" than so many people in my own life, better yet the country or the world.

I read somewhere that "wanting more is a sign that we have way too much."  While this may be a little strong of a statement for my taste, I do think it is good cautionary language for us to consider.  Its easy to fall into the trap of saying, "once i get this one thing, ill be satisfied."  Once I get the "honey from that hive over there", I'll be good.  But does it ever end that way?  There's always another "hive" that seems to come around that's even more appealing.

While its natural to want more things in life, whether its material possessions, career advancements, accolades, etc.; its important to make sure these "wants" don't take priority over what really matters:  our relationship with the Lord and living by the Word.  The next time you find yourself wanting something, ask yourself, is this excess?  Jesus told us that it is better to give than to receive.  When God gives us more in our life, does it seem more logical that hes given us extra wealth, or giving us extra to give?

Personal Reflection:
As a high school sophomore, I had reached a high level of confidence in my tennis game.  I remember a certain 5 letter P word that filled my body when I saw my name listed as #1 in the preseason conference predictions.  Unfortunately, the 5 letter word wasn't proud, but pride.  I remember after winning my first two matches that season, instead of being thankful for the skills and opportunity God had given me, I found myself "longing for more", wishing I would have would have won in a more "blowout" fashion to look better.  An injury put a swift end to that pride, and I now look back on that period as a missed opportunity to enjoy a great gift from God.  Sports is an easy example to me, but this attitude can creep up in many areas of your life.  Bottom line:  be thankful for what you have, caution yourself from wanting "too much", and enjoy the blessings God has given us.