Scarcity Vs. Abundance
By Betsy St. Amant
"And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." -2 Corinthians 9:8 (NIV)
I think scarcity is one of the biggest tactics of the enemy today.
I know as a mom I’m constantly navigating my day feeling as if I don’t have what it takes. That I don’t have enough resources. That I’m not enough. It always seems like I need more to get by or that people need more from me than I have to offer. Too often, my days are full of anxiety and struggling to take a deep breath and hold everything together. Because if I falter at all, the carefully balanced walls of my endless to-do list might come crashing down and bury me in a heap.
But Jesus made it clear that the thief is the one who steals, kills, and destroys. That would be Satan! Christ, Himself offers life—and not just life—abundant life. (John 10:10 ESV) We have this truth to operate from, but how often do we really embrace it?
Sometimes I wonder if I would recognize abundance if it snuck up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. Scarcity is much easier to acknowledge. The scarcity of finances, the scarcity of time, the scarcity of energy—that, I relate to. (and all the women out there said amen)
Whether you’re a mother of a newborn who is needing your body for nourishment and your waking moments for themselves, or a mother of a teenager who needs your taxi-driving skills and your wallet, or a busy career woman whose boss needs her to answer just one more email…I have good news and bad news for you.
You’re not enough, and you don’t have enough. (yikes!)
But Christ is, and He supplies our every need. (whew!)
I love how 2 Corinthians 9:8 clarifies so specifically that it’s God who blesses us abundantly. It’s God who arranges for us to have what we need. It’s God who equips us to abound in every good work. It’s not up to us. We’re not supposed to have endless resources. But Jesus does.
John 4: 13-14 (ESV) Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
If you’re anything like me, you could probably use a dip in that stream right now, couldn’t you?
I tend to try to do everything myself. I’m the type of parent who is often guilty of doing the chore rather than delegating it because it’s just easier that way. But then I’m also guilty of complaining about doing said chore, rather than asking for help. Oops. I all too often start falling back into old mindsets of scarcity—there’s not enough hours in the day, not enough money, not enough energy, not enough of me to go around. I spiral into a ball of anxiety and lash out at those closest to me because I feel alone and stressed and overworked.
I’m believing the lie of scarcity.
But the truth is, God numbered our days and planned them before the foundation of time. Psalm 139:16 (NIV) Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
This means that we have enough time, resources, and energy to do what God has called us to do. If you’re running yourself ragged, maybe you’re doing things that aren’t for this season in your life. Trust me, I know it’s hard to say no to good things, especially things that bring in extra money or that are for a noble cause. But protecting your time to be effective for God has called you to do is one way to tap into His supply chain. He isn’t equipping you for everyone else’s calling—He’s equipping you for yours.
So you can change another diaper and make another bottle to the glory of God, with as much energy as you require. You can drive that taxi full of teens to the glory of God and have patience aplenty on route. You can work a job to the glory of God and represent Christ in your office, with the knowledge and understanding that is necessary. You can do it because He is the one who “gives us what we need and causes us to abound in every good work.”
When we refill our wells with living water, we have more than enough. We have an abundant supply that will overflow into our hearts, our homes, and our offices. It will splash onto those around us in need, it will drip on our friends and family members and even the strangers in carpool line or Target parking lots. We can gush with all the fruits of the Spirit when we’re full to the brim. That’s how we’re called to live, and God provides it through His Word and His presence.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
What part of your life right now feels like there are only scraps? Do you think this is true or a lie from the enemy? How can you incorporate filling your tank with the Holy Spirit each day so that you’re no longer running on fumes? Is it possible you need to retrain yourself to stop thinking of regular Bible reading as a chore, and rather, view it as a refreshing, rejuvenating dip into a stream of resources?
Further reading:
Psalm 78:23-29 (ESV)
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Jurkos
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