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***This is part 2 of a series that I started way back in 2020. If you haven’t read our first post, hop over to it here. A lot has changed since then, but I still sometimes struggle with my mindset and feeling like I am and have enough. This is all about scarcity and abundance. When we live abundantly in him, we don’t have to live in fear anymore.***
Scarcity is the Opposite of Living Abundantly
I was recently reading the book, iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy–and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood–and What That Means for the Rest of Us by Jean Twenge. This book really does a great job capturing the in’s and out’s of iGen, which is the generation born between 1995-2012. She mentioned in the book a growing trend for students in iGen. Instead of choosing work that is fulfilling though potentially not very high-paying, young adults in iGen are choosing jobs that are financially safe. Safety is something that is of high importance to iGen. And not just physical safety, but also emotional safety as discussed in The Coddling of the American Mind. We can see how this plays out as this generation is turning down jobs that are emotionally demanding and not financially rewarding. Jobs such as teaching and nursing are facing massive shortages. This generation is worried about having enough to be comfortable, and we can hear how this plays out in the complaints we often hear about student loans, medical bills, and the general cost of living. I first wrote about scarcity and abundance in the midst of the pandemic. Three years ago, scarcity was the first thing on my mind as we would go to the store and see bare shelves where rows and rows of milk or eggs would normally be. Limits on toilet paper, canned goods, and even butter were common. When we see limits like this, we can feel anxious about the future, even if we have enough at that moment.
Even before the pandemic – during snowstorms here in the south, you would see people going to buy loads of white bread and milk, when if they haven’t eaten dairy all year! The root cause of this is people feeling unsafe. Feeling unsafe creates fear. Fear creates a desire to hoard so that we know we have enough.
In some instances, fear can be a good thing. On wintry unsalted southern roads with black ice and drivers who have only driven in snow about 3 times in their lives, I should plan on staying home for my own safety. However, when I become so afraid that I begin hoarding supplies, energy, and even people to feel safe, my actions can start to negatively impact our community.
When we have feelings of scarcity, we often overestimate our own needs and underestimate the needs of others. We move with blinders on, closed-fisted, hoarding supplies and energies until we feel safe again.
I see this sentiment in the Doomsday Preppers. There’s a fear of the future which leads to a hoarding of supplies. As the fear increases, the group turns inward. Insular groups tend to dry up spiritually, leading groups down a dark and lonely path.
In Acts 1, we read about the ascension of Jesus. The disciples had just undergone the most horrific situation as they watched Jesus be crucified. After he rose again, I can only imagine how joyous and hopeful they were. As they walked up the Mount of Olives, they may have been crestfallen. They thought that he may have come to free him from the oppression of Roman rule. Now, he tells them that he is leaving them. When he leaves, they stand looking up at the sky, probably waiting to see if he will come back. An angel appears to them and says, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).
The disciples were at a crossroads. When Jesus was crucified, they had a scarcity mindset. They hid away in the upper rooms and were sitting around until he appeared to them. Now that Jesus had left them again, they could have responded in the same way. But, they didn’t. They took the angel’s word and set about the work that God had called them to.
My Favorite Things
In every post, I like to share a few of my favorite things to help you have a more beautiful life. Comment with some of your favorite things and they may be featured!
My favorite thing #1 this week is Instacart+! As we talk about scarcity, abundance, and preparedness, one of my favorite ways to add more time – which always seems scarce – back into my life is Instacart+. Having two young children can make shopping feel impossible. This is my favorite way to get what I need. I actually end up spending less money because I am not getting things I don’t need! Join Instacart+ with the code F48462D1E3 for $30 dollars off on your first order.
My favorite thing #2 is The Clutter Fix by Shannon Acheson. I’ve been working on cleaning, decluttering, and organizing my house. This book does a great job helping you to change your mindset about stuff to finally get rid of the clutter. I can already see a big difference in my house from putting what she writes into practice!
How to Start Living Abundantly
We can look at how the disciples faced this time of scarcity to learn how we can move from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset. By following their example, we can learn to overcome the need to hoard and isolate ourselves. We replace that negative need created by a scarcity mindset with 4 needs that will keep us working for the good of God’s kingdom.
- We need to devote ourselves to prayer.
When we want to move from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset, the first thing we need to do is remember who we are and what we have been called to. The best way to do this is to turn to God in prayer. Prayer eases our anxiety and helps us to cast our cares on him. When we pray, we recognize that this issue that we are facing may be outside of our control, but it is not outside of the sovereignty of God.
- We need to team up with other believers.
Peter gathered up the disciples and encouraged them to find another person who could help do the work. This shows us that (1) people are important. We may be feeling anxious because we have removed people from our lives that could help us and be a comfort to us. (2) People help to share our load. Just like we pray in order to cast our cares on God, we confide in others and bring them alongside us because we are supposed to cast our cares on each other. We share each other’s loads. We need a team of people who are working towards the same goals. This team should be the church, and you should be a part of it.
- We need to get to work.
After they prayed and established who the team was, they got to work. In Acts 2, Peter gives the sermon at Pentecost. This is the perfect example of how Peter did not become isolated and removed from the rest of society after Jesus left. He did not try to hide away. In Pentecost, we see how Peter got to work ministering and evangelizing. Through his words, three thousand (!) people were saved and more were added every day. People of all languages and nationalities were added to their number. Peter and the rest of the disciples were not being tight-fisted. They were not trying to ‘hoard’ Jesus from themselves. They knew they could freely spread the news of Jesus and sacrifice themselves. So, they answered the calling he placed on their lives. We are here because of the work that the early church did.
- BONUS: We need to trust the Holy Spirit to be enough.
How did the disciples know that they were going to be okay? That they could face an anxious future with abundance?
They trusted that Jesus would do what he said he would do. He promised that he would send the Holy Spirit to empower them to do the calling. The people weren’t enough on their own power, but with the Spirit, they were more than enough.
We have more than enough through Christ to face our days. We have the comfort, grace, and love of God. We have the encouragement and fellowship we find in the Church. We have the power and strength of the Spirit. We don’t have to be anxious about what we face. We don’t have to fear scarcity, because with the Spirit, we have life in abundance.
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