Dayenu: It Would Have Been Enough

Have you ever noticed how God consistently gives us more than "just enough"? Today's reflection explores the beautiful Jewish concept of "Dayenu" – meaning "it would have been enough" – and how this ancient idea perfectly captures God's abundant nature in our lives.

My spiritual journey has been marked by countless moments where God didn't just meet a need but exceeded all expectations. From teaching me to recognize His voice during waking hours when dreams alone would have sufficed, to ministering to me through my own words as I shared with others. The transformation continues as I discover hidden remnants of my past – what I call "grave clothes" – that I've unconsciously held onto, fashioning them into accessories rather than fully discarding them.

The journey extends beyond personal growth into community and connection. Finding not just a church home but transformative leadership that ignites spiritual fire has carved out unexpected opportunities for service. Most recently, a chance encounter at a movie theater while watching "The Chosen" opened the door to meaningful witness with a stranger. Our conversation revealed how we can take for granted that everyone experiences faith the same way, and reminded me that our spiritual overflow isn't meant to be contained – it's designed to water seeds God has already planted in others.

What would your personal verses of Dayenu include? Where has God gone beyond "enough" in your life? Take time to reflect on these moments of divine abundance and share them with others. Your story of God's generosity might be exactly what someone else needs to recognize His work in their own life.

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:05

Welcome back to Vision in the Valley family. It's been an incredible year so far. My discernment has grown and continues to grow expeditiously, with the quickness Y'all remember when we used to say. With the quickness that meant with speed and efficiency. Right, I'm no longer limited to hearing God's voice while I'm sleeping. I'm familiar with his voice. Now the slightest whisper is on my radar.

God's Limitless Teaching Methods

The Concept of Dayenu

Speaker 1 0:35

It would have been enough if he'd simply chosen to speak to me, right, but he didn't stop there. Knowing I was too busy with being me during the day to listen to him, he chose to speak to me at night. He didn't just abandon me. It would have been enough to teach me during my dreams. But the limitless God we serve said there's more. He said I'll teach you with your eyes wide open. He said I'll teach you with your eyes wide open. I'll teach you over the hustle and over the bustle of the day. I'll teach you so that you can teach. It would have been enough that he allowed me to use my life as an exhibit to show his love and grace and mercy and forgiveness. I love how Pastor Hannah says he'll turn your mess into your message. The Holy Spirit ministered to me through my own ministry and that still blows my mind that he would minister to me through the words I'm sharing to bless someone else. He's allowed me to see breakthroughs as I've shared my story, as I unraveled grave clothes that I thought I had discarded already. I'd unwrapped them from my body but I still had them in my hands, stuffed in pockets, hidden under caps, right Pieces, left in hidden places, and if you know me, you know that I love fashion, and so I kind of imagine it that I began to accessorize with the garments, with the grave clothes y'all, creating scarves and ties, if you will, instead of discarding all the remnants of the grave clothes. It would have been enough to allow me to find a church home with a solid leader, but he gave me two pastors who live to exalt and glorify God. He uses them to teach and motivate us in ways that I can't even explain. He directs their steps and he sets them on fire, and that fire is brought back to the temple and it engulfs us. It would have been enough that they are kingdom builders and they teach us by their actual walk. That would have been enough. But he didn't stop there. He allows me to serve in a capacity that I could never say I'm qualified, wow, but the favor, the favor went ahead of me and carved me a space. In fact carved me out two spaces and three spaces. It would have been enough to cover my mind from my childhood. That alone is a full statement. If you've been listening to me and in my journey, you know the last couple of episodes have been really heavy, and in fact all of last season was quite heavy. But he didn't stop there. He protected my heart and my soul. Heavy, but he didn't stop there. He protected my heart and my soul. He allowed me the understanding of the whys and gave me peace with the whats. He took the roof off about the wins and reminded me of who I am and whose I am. That's a who, what, when, why. For you right. I could go on and on about how it would have been enough if God just did the one thing. But he's so God, as Pastor Glenn would say. He's so God that he didn't stop there. He exceeds our expectations. It's amazing to me that in this space we're still discovering or let me just talk for myself that we're still discovering how good he is.

Unexpected Encounter at the Theater

Speaker 1 4:05

There is a Jewish tradition of remembering the Exodus from Egypt all the way to freedom. It's in a song called Dayenu. I'm going to spell it because I struggle with the word a little bit, because it's foreign to me. It's spelled D-A-Y-E-N-U Dayenu. Dayenu means it would have been enough. I learned about this in the Chosen series. I've shared with you my love for the show, and when I heard the stanzas during the last season of Chosen, I just began to cry. It was just absolutely beautiful to me. I immediately felt my heart writing additional stanzas and lines to glorify God.

Speaker 1 4:47

Just from my own life, I've made a date with myself to go to the theater to see the three movies depicting the Last Supper, and it was after Easter and only a few theaters were still playing it. I had to drive over 30 miles to see it, and I've shared this before. If I can go 30 miles for some shoes, I can certainly go 30 miles for a good message, and so I traveled to find the theater, and when I got there, of course it was pretty empty, and when I arrived there were a few people seated, but there was one woman that was standing up looking for something, and I could tell she was looking for something because she's, like you know, walking back and forth and she's got this. Where in the world did it go? Look on her face, you know what I'm talking about this. Where in the world did it go? Look on her face, you know what I'm talking about. But my spirit told me that I was going to have a conversation with her. I'm getting very acquainted with those clues, and that's what I mean by hearing his voice, like I just knew that this would be an encounter and not one that was going to necessarily be initiated by me.

Speaker 1 5:54

The first movie ended and we all took a break to stretch, and when I came back, I noticed that she started looking again. So of course, I had to go and ask if she needed help. Can I tell you I don't even remember what it was that we were looking for. It wasn't important. It opened the door for conversation, and that was what the important thing was. She lived nearby, so her drive was not very long at all. I think she said something like a five minute drive or something, but she had chosen to do the movie marathon to the whole three movies back to back.

Witnessing in Organic Ways

Speaker 1 6:29

We started talking about the series, about our favorite characters and the moments that we love the most, and I found that we we love the same things and probably for different reasons. I don't know, maybe for the same reasons, but we found a bond there. We were probably around the same age and we were both thirsty for the Lord, in two different spaces, but thirsting nonetheless, because who binges three movies about the gospel of Christ when you're not thirsty for him? Right is three movies about the gospel of Christ when you're not thirsty for them, right. Aside from me being black and her being white, we were the same in several ways.

Speaker 1 7:08

She began to tell me who put her up on the show and the interesting thing around it, and the story was pretty interesting. I won't go into full details about the conversation. I'll just share that. She ended the story with the fact that everyone she knew was Catholic. It never occurred to her that there was any other perspective and I thought that was quite groundbreaking. But she said it and I appreciated her honesty and her vulnerability in saying it, because she understood that she was very naive about it, that the way she worshiped was the only way to worship on, the only way that anyone worshiped. So I really appreciated her being, again, vulnerable and honest, but it did something for me.

Speaker 1 7:58

So I began telling her about new life, about Bible study, about 12 hour prayer. You know how past Anna says this is who we are, this is what we do. I gave her that and it was a very organic, easy way to do it, cause that's what we do, this is how we're taught. She never attended anything like what I was describing and she had become acquainted with the word of God through the show, through the TV series, because when she's in mass, you're just these are her words, you're just repeating what's been said or you're reading along with, and so there's no deeper dive. And I've attended mass on many occasions and so I totally get what she's saying. It would have been enough that she was a nurse, it would have been enough that she previously worked at one of my hospitals, one of my current hospitals.

The Purpose of Our Overflow

Speaker 1 8:54

But he didn't stop there. He allowed me to witness in the most organic way. Everything we learn in church, everything we learn in Bible study during 12-hour prayer, is all in preparation to witness, to share his good news, not in a beat-over-the-head kind of way, but just that natural, organic, we're-talking, flowy kind of way, in a way that allows him to get the glory and for people to be open to hear the story right. We bonded. She stopped by after the last show to give me a big hug. She beat me to it because I was definitely going to find her, to give her a hug. If you allow him to guide you, you can walk in your purpose, even in a movie theater. By the way, she did find what she was looking for, but so did I.

Speaker 1 9:50

I was able to add yet another verse to the song, because you never truly know how your words might impact or influence someone. For some, the only time they hear the word is when it's spoken in a service, and we can easily take for granted that everyone is diving in deeply on their own. But sometimes it's your words, it's your excitement, it's your passion, it's your enthusiasm that spark a hunger to go deeper. That's what our leaders do for us at New Life. It would have been enough that God pours into us, nurturing us in every moment of our lives, but he doesn't stop there. He pours abundantly, giving us overflow, and that overflow is meant to pour out and water the seeds he's already planted in others. So listen, make the diennial personal, add your own stanzas, your own verses, and I can't wait to talk with you soon.