are you losing the ability to enjoy life?
Aug 21, 2026
I’ve been home from Ecuador for almost two weeks now, and I’m becoming more clear on why these trips can be so transformative.
Yes, we go to serve. We build. We give. We help.
But something happens to us too.
These trips have a way of resetting what it means to be content—and even what it means to enjoy life when we come back home.
I’m currently reading Joyful Wealth Management by Russell James III, and one idea has really grabbed me: excessive consumption can actually burn out our capacity for enjoyment.
That’s fascinating, especially considering what Paul writes about God:
“...who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” — 1 Timothy 6:17
God isn't against enjoyment! He created it. He provides for it.
So here's the question:
Could it be possible that our pursuit of MORE is actually decreasing our capacity to ENJOY?
What was once extraordinary becomes ordinary. Yesterday's luxury becomes today's expectation. Our reference point moves, and suddenly we need another upgrade just to experience the same excitement.
The new car becomes the old car.
The dream house becomes just the house.
The amazing vacation becomes, “Where are we going next?”
The pursuit of more can actually make it harder to enjoy what we already have.
So what's the alternative?
The very next verse gives us a clue. Paul instructs those with wealth “to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” (1 Timothy 6:18)
I wonder if this is where our richness is supposed to be the most vast.
Maybe we're getting close to the root of true enjoyment.
It grows when we loosen the reins—and share.
Receiving is fine. Receiving is fun! But giving opens an entirely different world of possibilities and blessings. Giving allows us to participate in someone else's story. It shifts our eyes from what we're missing to what we've been given. It moves us from accumulation to impact.
And maybe that's part of what Ecuador continues to teach me.
I went there to give, but I came home having received.
I saw joy without excess. Generosity without abundance. Gratitude without luxury. And it reset something inside of me.
Maybe remembering the poor isn't simply God's command to help them.
Maybe it's also God's invitation to transform us.
To become more content.
More grateful.
More generous.
More alive.
Perhaps one of the greatest ways to expand our capacity for enjoyment is surprisingly simple:
Stop holding so tightly to what we have—and experience the joy of giving it away.
If this resonates, reach out so we can explore how to expand your capacity to enjoy life at a higher level.
Much Love,
Dave
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