My almost four-year-old son Theo LOVES the movie Mary Poppins.

He sings “chim-chim-cher-ee” as he dances over to us. He regularly yells “STEP IN TIME” while thrusting whatever toy he’s holding into the air. And one time recently, when he was eating a spoonful of food at dinner, he exclaimed, “Lime cordial! Delicious!” directly quoting Jane when Mary Poppins magically transforms the kids’ medicine into tasty treats.

On one of our many viewings of Mary Poppins, I noticed an interesting quote I hadn’t caught before. And when I was in our weekly 1001 Worshiping Communities Apprenticeship gathering, our facilitator quoted the same quote that week as well! When the same thing comes up multiple times in quick succession like that, I often pay attention– sometimes, God is speaking through it.

The quote is said by Mary Poppins after she and the kids magically clean up the nursery. Michael asks to have the magical experience again, and Mary Poppins says: “Enough is as good as a feast.” Basically, she tells Michael that cleaning the nursery once was enough, and that having enough is just as good as having more.

Since this quote aligns well with minimalism, I wanted to know where it came from. Apparently it’s an old English proverb, with a version of the quote included in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, and versions of the proverb also show up later in the works of Sir Thomas Mallory, John Heywood, and Alexander Pope.

Choosing Enough

This proverb is relatively old, and strikes a bit of a nerve when it comes to living more simply. “Enough is as good as a feast” reminds us that having enough is just as satisfying as having a lot.

Consumer culture tries to convince us that more is always better, but this old English proverb articulates the truth succinctly: enough is just as good, and sometimes better, than having more.

There are many Bible verses that echo this sentiment, and this passage is one of my favorites:

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

1 Timothy 6:6-8

Having what we need– food and clothing, etc.– and being content with what we have– that is enough. And “enough is just as good as a feast.”

How is God inviting you to live more simply, recognizing that having enough is just as good as having a lot?



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