Have You Had Enough?

Adorned in her pink fluffy princess dress, my three-year-old climbs each step balancing her bag and dress as if she’s the original sleeping beauty. The woman at the top of the stairs greets her with a smile acknowledging her royal cuteness. 

“Trick-or-treat,” my daughter says confidently. 

The woman generously gifts her with candy. Turning to walk away, my daughter does a quick calculation. 

Three words = a handful of candy

She turns back and says the words again…more candy. 

My neighbor and I exchange a glance both caught up in her charm. My daughter proceeds to try this trick several more times until after the fourth attempt, I say, “Enough, sweetheart! Say thank you, and let’s go.” Three-year-old, adorable behavior if unchecked can quickly transition into rudeness. 

Reflecting on this story from years ago, I can’t help but see a correlation between the opportunist mindset of a three-year-old and our culture’s push for us to accumulate more and more. What if instead of asking for more, we asked ourselves, “how much is enough?” 

How would this question shift our mindset from accumulation to contentment? How could capping our tendency to crave more reorient our hearts to a posture of generosity? 

These are the things I’m thinking on as I prepare my heart to transition into November. I challenge you to join me. We might just be surprised by how contentment, gratitude, and generosity can cultivate a heart of peace, even in a season when the world begs us to embrace more.