Abundance vs. Scarcity

Ephesians 1: 17: I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.


Abundance vs. Scarcity. What is your mindset? Do you think about your possessions in terms of abundance or scarcity? In other words, do feel like you have got to hold on and protect what you have because there is precious very little of it? Or do you feel like you can be free and generous with what you have because there is always plenty of it? I guess it might depend on what it is. Nonetheless, it is a good question to ask because the answer to it reveals a mindset. Knowing our mindset might help us to figure out what we need to ask God for in prayer.

I tend to have a scarcity mindset. One of my kids doesn’t and he amazes me. He teaches me much about being generous. When he gets something that he really likes (a treat, a toy) his first impulse seems to be to try and figure out how to share it, give it away or at least to make sure that others have gotten some sort of treat too.

Sometimes I worry that he is going to regret giving his stuff away. Sometimes part of me even wants to discourage him from being so generous. Is that crazy?

But then I realize he does is because as he has told me, “It makes me feel good.” There is a difference between the two of us. He is naturally generous. He enjoys giving to others without having to think about it. He believe that the world is an abundant place and that the most important things, the things that he really needs are readily available all the time so he does not have to worry about keeping a tight grip on his stuff.

He is right.

I suspect the more we get to know “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,” the more we will realize this.