Too Much of a Good Thing
“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 1 Corinthians 6:12 (NIV)
Are we too busy doing too much? Too much of nothing? Do we ever feel swallowed up by committees, meetings, and all kinds of group activities? Sometimes I just need time alone. I like to have quiet time to think, pray, and write. Lawrence W. Wilson (All God’s Creatures) has a message that rings loud and clear.
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The creek near my home is a magnet for waterfowl. I see ducks on every morning walk, of course, and Canada geese in season. But my favorite is the great blue heron. I love to spot one of these gangly waders standing stock-still in the babbling stream, fishing with the patience of Hemingway’s long-suffering character in The Old Man and the Sea.
I’ve seldom seen a great blue heron in flight and never, that I recall, on the shore. These solitary birds love the water and depend on it for life. Of course, they must nest somewhere but they always seem most at home in the water.
Heavy rain brought the creek to flood stage, and I was curious about what I’d find on my walk through the park. There are always ripples in the rocky creek, but days of rain had created white water worthy of the Colorado River. Duck huddled on the shore. Canada geese too. And there on the creek bank, just above the bridge, sat a lone blue heron. He was motionless, as usual, trying his best to look dignified under the circumstances, but he looked more miserable than a wet cat.
Water is a good thing. Aquatic birds love it. They need it. They would die without it. But even they know that too much of a good thing can be dangerous.
Many things are like that—fine in and of themselves, perhaps good and necessary. But in excess, they become dangerous, even deadly. Alcohol can be a useful substance or a deadly poison. Food is required for life, but excessive consumption can undermine health. Work, money, leisure, exercise, and knowledge all have great value, but they are best treated as servants, not masters. They are a means to an end, not an end in themselves.
O God, help me to use things, but love only You. AMEN.