Scarcity

By Pastor Paul Gauche

Today’s Word: ‘Scarcity’ as in… “Just look at it! The glass is half full!”

Someone says, “It’s just not going to work, I’m going to run out, there will never be enough.” Someone else says, “I’m not as successful as my peers, so I must be a failure.”

I say none of this is true.

When people play, work, and live out of a scarcity mentality, their play will be hampered, their work will be diminished, and they won’t experience a sense of thriving in daily life. And while we may know this on a cognitive level, many people grapple with a deep sense of scarcity on a daily basis.

The guiding narrative of the thriving rhythm of generosity reminds us that “…the abundance of the few can transform the scarcity of the many in very dynamic ways.”

All four gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John include the story of the ‘Feeding of the 5000.’ After a long day of teaching the crowds, the disciples remind Jesus that people are tired, hungry, and have a long way to travel to find food. You can almost hear them grumbling, “You preached way too long… again, Jesus!” Annoyed, they suggest that Jesus send the crowds away so they may return to town and get some fish and chips.

But Jesus has other ideas. “You give them something to eat.”

Wait, what? Well, we know what happens. But do we? “…the abundance of the few can transform the scarcity of the many in very dynamic if not dramatic ways.”

The real miracle here is that instead of Jesus snapping his fingers, wiggling his nose, or clicking his heels, he invites everyone to share part of what they have with others. And they had way more than what they started with. Something like twelve baskets full.

When we’re generous, there is no such thing as scarcity.

 

Thriving Reflections:

++ How do you respond to the last three sentences?

++ How has your scarcity been met with someone else’s abundance?

++ What part of your abundance can meet the need of someone else’s scarcity?

#100days50words

#Thriv’era

Paul Gauche is the Pastor of Life Transitions at Prince of Peace. His posts are part of his #100days50words project, where he blogs about a different word each week. You can follow his project on Instagram (@pgauche) or his blog, Thriving Rhythms.