Is Jesus Enough?

“Is Jesus enough?” Diana asked.

I looked up at her through my tears with a quizzical and annoyed look on my face. My thoughts raced as I searched my mind for the answer.

Actually I had my answer, I just didn’t know how to say it without hurting her feelings: "Of course Jesus isn’t enough! What a stupid question!"

How can Jesus alone be enough? He said Himself that man cannot live on bread alone. Besides all that, we live in a cold climate, we need proper housing, and furniture, and a refrigerator full of food. We need happy marriages, healthy kids and money in the bank – we need our piece of the 'American Dream.'

We need happiness.

Furthermore, I thought I deserved all of this (and more). After all, I thought I had done everything right. I worked two or more jobs at a time in order to put myself through university, rather than relying on student loans and worked very hard to excel at my career. Unlike many of my friends, I had stayed away from drugs and alcohol, and managed to ‘marry smart:’ choosing with my head and not just my heart. I believed I deserved happiness – I just didn’t understand why everything was turning out so, so horribly!

All of that took about a nano-second to blast through my mind, and with tears streaming, and nose running, I croaked out my answer, “No. I know the ‘right’ answer is yes, but it just isn’t. I expected more out of life than this! I need more than what I have right now.” Then I dissolved in another round of sobbing.

By this time, I’m sure Diana was used to seeing me that way. She had been living with us for just over a year. We met her when there was an announcement in our church bulletin that a missionary needed a place to stay for about six weeks. We offered up our empty, but available spare room.

As it turned out, she wasn’t a missionary, and it wasn’t for just six weeks. But we didn’t care, Diana became family to us. Even though I loved and respected her very much -- I really hated the question she had asked.

That question buried itself deep into my heart and I began to ponder its implications. God was about to show me, personally, that Jesus is enough.