Simply Enough

There is a parable about a landowner who needed help at harvest. He offered a good wage for a day’s work and hired a number of employees. At the end of the day, he needed more help and hired others. When it came time to be paid, he called in those hired last and paid them the full day’s wage. Those hired first assumed they would get more. They didn’t and went away discontent.

I have always wondered why the employer didn’t pay the full-day workers first. They would have received what was promised and went away happy. They wouldn’t have seen what was given to those hired last. They were set up.

The reality is that this isn’t a parable about unfair labor practices.  It is about hearts. The first workers received exactly what was promised them. They apparently thought it was good enough when they accepted the offer. What made them discontent? They compared what they had to others and decided it wasn’t enough.

Oh, the problems that come when we compare. In this day where everyone’s “blessings” are posted and publicized, we can be like those first hirelings. Social media can set us up for comparison. In the parable, comparison revealed a discontented heart. When we see the blessings of others, do we become discontent with our own scarcity?

“The opposite of scarcity is not abundance. It is simply having enough.” Brene Brown

It’s a good idea to remember: We don’t need to have what others have. We don’t need to do what others are doing. We have enough.