The Jews have a powerful word in their faith vocabulary: dayenu. It means, “that alone would have been enough; for that alone we are grateful.” As they recount their faith history (such as being freed from Egyptian slavery, or crossing on dry land as God parted the sea, or receiving the 10 Commandments, etc.) they say “dayenu” after each one as a way of reminding themselves that any one of those things would have been enough for them to know of God’s mercy and love. The concept teaches them to be grateful for what God has already done, rather than to always ask God to do something more.
For Christians, this concept can assist us in being grateful for what God has already done through the death and resurrection of Jesus. That’s enough. That’s all that is necessary. Dayenu means waking up each day grateful for the new day God has given — no matter what life brings. In times of economic difficulty, dayenu reminds us that we have food on the table, clothes on our back, shelter over our head.
In today’s world, we always seem to be asking for more, not content nor grateful for what God has already given. We are always asking for more — more money, better health, etc. How different our relationship with God would be if we would just stop and think about all of the powerful things God has already done in our lives, and then utter the prayer, “for this alone I am grateful.”
