Less Is More

Suppose you can choose a holiday of your choice. And suppose money is not an issue. Say you can stay at the best hotels, eat at the best of restaurants and shop at the best of the best. Would you? I think most, if not all, will jump at the opportunity. Why? Because of the "system". Or shall I say, the way this world works? It's all about indulgences. This present system suggests the luxurious lifestyles are meant only for a certain category of people. It divides us into the" have" and the" have-not". So the "have-not" strives very hard to jump the gap into the "have". How that can happen is up to your imagination. And the "have" work hard to make sure they don't fall into the "have-not". And so this world continues to evolve around the sun 365 days a year on the same orbit, like it's never going anywhere else and like it's never going to change even with passing millenniums. Life therefore is (according to king Solomon) a chasing after the wind. Life gets pretty complicated in this present system. It never satisfies and enough is never enough. To remain in that status quo, needless to say, takes a lot out of a person.

Now let's look at the flip side of the coin. Say I am not able to afford that dream holiday. Does it mean I am deprived and on the losing end of life? Let's see. It doesn't take much to purchase some basic and proper hiking gears for an early morning bird watch. Armed with a pair of binoculars, a camera  and a simple chalet with basic amenities to stay the night over, I can have a fun filled and gratifying holiday! In the cool of the mornings as I take my hike along the bird trails, I am shrouded by the coolness and the freshness of the forest.  I hear the morning calls of various kinds of birds. Some calls are familiar while others need a little exploring. At the slightest movements of leaves, I'd notice a bird. Looking at it through the binoculars or camera view finder, I see one of the amazing handiwork of God's creation! Sometimes it feels like I am in God's art gallery! Time flies. Packed lunches are usually delayed or forgotten. At the end of the day, relaxing in the simple chalet over dinner with friends, we gasped and awed at the shared photos looking for the shots of the day. Conversations and laughter lingers on till the late hours of the night. Lying in bed I could just think to myself, "What a wonderful and satisfying day. Thank you Lord". At the end of the holiday, I would have spent but a fraction of what it would have cost an Alaskan Cruise. My point? Less is more.

It doesn't take much to be happy. What God 's word teaches is so true; less is more. Where did we get the notion that more is more? In fact, more is never enough. Remember, it didn't take much for Jesus to feed a crowd of five thousand men alone. It was just five loaves and two little fish. With only twelve disciples, Jesus changed the whole world. Less is indeed more. I am not saying we are not to strive for more or that more is bad. I am saying the miracles of life, they are in small packages. So if you want more, look at the small details. If you can see it, you can have more. If you can't see it, maybe you too busy chasing after the wind.It doesn't take much to be happy in life. Whatever little you have, you have more than you know. God bless.