It Would Have Been Enough

A couple of weeks ago, I was watching an episode of The Chosen, and there was a particular moment that caught my attention. It wasn’t a big miracle scene or a dramatic lesson from Jesus. It was quieter than that.

The scene was from the Last Supper, not just a key Christian moment, but also a traditional Jewish Passover meal. At the table, Jesus and the Apostles were recounting a story Israel had remembered for generations: the Exodus from Egypt.

And in the scene, the disciples begin reciting these statements of remembrance:

"If all God had done was bring us out of Egypt… it would have been enough. If all He had done was part the sea… it would have been enough. If all He had done was provide manna in the wilderness… it would have been enough."

Step by step, mercy by mercy, they were tracing the Exodus story and naming God’s faithfulness along the way.

And something about it stayed with me, because it exposed how different my heart often works.

They weren’t rushing to the next thing. They weren’t saying, “Yes, God, thank You… but what else?”

They were simply pausing and acknowledging: That alone would have been enough.

Later in the episode, they referenced that this was part of the Passover tradition called the Dayenu, a word that means It would have been enough. I had never heard of it before. So I looked it up.

And the more I learned, the more it stayed with me, because my heart doesn’t always live in “enough.” Something good happens. A prayer gets answered. A season of stress finally eases. We take a deep breath and feel thankful… for a moment.

And then we’re right back to thinking about what’s next. The next responsibility. The next goal. The next thing we wish were different. The next problem we need God to solve.

It’s not that we’re ungrateful people. It’s just that we live with a quiet restlessness. We adjust quickly. We normalize blessings. We keep reaching.

And lately, I can’t stop wondering what it would do to our souls if we practiced saying this again: Lord… it would have been enough.

A Word That Teaches Us to Pause

Dayenu is part of a song sung during Passover, as God’s people remember the Exodus.

The song reflects on God’s mercy step by step. It goes something like this: If God had brought us out of Egypt, it would have been enough. If He had parted the sea, it would have been enough. If He had provided manna in the wilderness, it would have been enough.

It’s a rhythm of remembrance. A way of naming grace. A way to count God's blessings.

And sadly, it feels so different from how we often live. We tend to say, “God, thank You… but also…”

Thank You for providing… but could You provide a little more? Thank You for healing… but could You fix this too? Thank You for getting us through… but what about what’s coming next?

Scripture gently calls us back to remember what God has already done:

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." - Psalm 103:2 (ESV)

Dayenu is a way of not forgetting how richly we have already been blessed by God.

How Quickly Our Hearts Drift Toward More

Gratitude can be fleeting.

We thank God for provision… and then worry about tomorrow. We celebrate a breakthrough… and then focus on what still feels unfinished. We receive a gift… and then immediately start reaching for another.

Israel struggled with this too. Even after miracles, fear and complaining returned quickly.

And while it’s easy to wonder how they could forget, I see the same tendency in myself and other Christians today.

Paul offers a different perspective when he speaks about learning contentment:

"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content." - Philippians 4:11 (ESV)

Contentment is learned. Gratitude is practiced. Dayenu invites us to pause and say, “Lord, what You’ve already done is more than enough.”

It Would Have Been Enough… But God Gave More

Here’s what’s so incredible: Dayenu isn’t about pretending we don’t have needs. It’s not denial. It’s not saying we should never ask for more help or more provision. It’s simply recognizing that God’s past mercies are already overwhelming.

And the gospel takes that even further. God didn’t just rescue Israel from Egypt. He gave His own Son.

Paul reminds us that if God has already given us Christ, we can trust Him with everything else:

"He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" - Romans 8:32 (ESV)

Dayenu teaches us that God’s mercy would have been enough at every step.

But God keeps giving. He is generous beyond measure.

Gratitude in the Ordinary Parts of Life

One of the hardest places to live out Dayenu is not in the big moments, but in the ordinary ones. It’s easier to be grateful when something dramatic happens.

But what about regular Tuesdays?

Work routines. Family responsibilities. The same chores. The same stresses. The same quiet struggles.

Dayenu invites us to notice that God is still present there too. His mercies are not seasonal. They are daily.

Scripture tells us that God’s compassion meets us every morning:

"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." - Lamentations 3:22–23 (ESV)

Gratitude is not just about looking back at what God did long ago. It’s about noticing what He is doing right now.

When “Enough” Feels Hard to Believe

Of course, this doesn’t mean life is always easy. Some seasons are genuinely painful. Some prayers feel unanswered. Some losses still ache.

Dayenu is not a call to pretend everything is fine. It’s a call to remember that even in the wilderness, God was still providing.

Even in waiting, God is still faithful. Even when we feel like we need more, we are held by the One who has already given us the greatest gift: Himself.

Jesus invites the weary and heavy-laden to come to Him:

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28 (ESV)

Sometimes gratitude begins not with abundance, but with trust.

So let me ask you…

As I ask myself the same questions:

• Where have I been quick to move past blessings without noticing them?

• What has God already done in my life that I’ve started to take for granted?

• What would it look like to practice “it would have been enough” this week?

• Where am I reaching for more, when God may be inviting me to rest in what He has already given me?

• How might gratitude reshape the way I experience ordinary days?

A Closing Word for Fellow Pilgrims

Dayenu is such a simple phrase. It would have been enough.

And yet it confronts something deep in us. It reminds us that gratitude is not automatic. It is spiritual attention.

God has been faithful. God has provided. God has carried us farther than we realize.

And even if He had only breathed life into us… it would have been enough.

But He has done more. He has given us Christ.

So as we continue our journey, may we learn to pause. To remember. To give thanks. And to trust that the God who has already given us His Son will not stop being faithful now.

Until the journey is complete,

Jonathan Pilgrim

P.S. This week, let's try a small Dayenu practice: each evening, write down one mercy from the day and pray, “Lord, it would have been enough.” Let gratitude slow our hearts and remind us how present God really is.