Abundance Mentality
Recently I opened my freezer to take something out to eat, only to find the expiration date was past. Taking a closer look inside the freezer, I realized that more items had expired. Have you done that? I had allowed food to spoil in the freezer. Rather than using it for its intended purpose, everything made its way to the trash, wasted.
Coming out of 2020 and analyzing my actions, I believe there is more to my expired food crisis. What was it? I would call it a SCARCITY MENTALITY. The uncertainty of 2020 had unknowingly traumatized me. Going into our grocery stores and seeing empty shelves had subconsciously affected me for the first time. If I used the food up, it would no longer be available, so it better to leave it there “in case I needed it.” Of course, leaving it there to waste instead of using it for the intended purpose is not a great plan - it’s costly.
Whether a pandemic or another crisis, each of us experiences areas of our lives that cause us to self-preserve. 2020 was undoubtedly traumatizing, and few escaped the trauma, touched in some way by COVID-19, either emotionally, physically, spiritually, or possibly all three. Our “normal” changed, and we wonder when things will get back to the way they were. What if they don’t?
As we begin a new year, will you embrace a “scarcity mentality,” attempting to control everything you can, or an “abundance mentality,” knowing that God is in control?
I often think of the widow in the Old Testament; when visited by the prophet Elijah, she was asked to prepare a meal for him. The timing of the ask was terrible! Her food supply was minimal, and preserving it for her son and herself seemed reasonable. Yet, sharing her meal was precisely what God asked her to do. Her obedience brought her freedom and provision.
In I Kings chapter 17, we read about it when Elijah stops at her house for dinner, under the Lord’s direction.
“Then the Lord said to Elijah, “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.” I Kings 17:8
Elijah sees this woman gathering sticks for a fire as he enters Zarephath, and he asks her for water and bread. This story has both intrigued and irritated me. She has nothing left to speak of, other than a little flour and oil to make bread for her and her son, and Elijah dares to request not only a portion BUT the first portion.
“But she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.” I Kings 17:12(NLT)
Elijah starts by asking her for water and then adds, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.”
Undeterred by her desperate situation, Elijah gives her this instruction.
“But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!” I Kings 17:13-14 (NLT)
The widow does what Elijah requests, and the flow of provision continues as long as there is a drought.
“So, she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.” 1 Kings 17:15-16 (NLT)
By giving what she had to Elijah, she secured the future of her son and herself.
Provision is provided when generosity is decided!
Had our widow decided to continue to live in a scarcity mentality, she and her son would have died within days. Her act of generosity was life-changing. Though she lived through a drought, she experienced provision.
This year, I am looking to expand my generosity personally and the generosity of PennDel Women. Our theme for 2021 is PREVAIL, based on I Corinthians 16:14, “Let Love PREVAIL in your life, words, and actions.” (VOICE)
Be generous with your life. Allow God to spend it for His purposes.
Be generous with your words. Allow God to speak through you to encourage and inspire.
Be generous with your actions. Allow God to stretch you in serving the world. Actions speak!
Let’s change the world in 2021 for God’s glory!
Liz
