living in abundance.

lake superior in lutsen, minnesota

i think it was from breaking the habit of being yourself where i read about the idea of having an abundance mindset instead of looking at things with fear of scarcity. that's been on my mind, and i was reminded me of one of forrest frank's songs, where caleb raps you can see we living in abundance... God is good, God is great, thank you for this plate (amen). it's been something on my mind a lot--how much privledge and abundance we live in and the blessings of it all but also the challenges that come with this generation and culture as well.

there's also the whole mindset shift: instead of viewing things in fear of not being good enough, not having enough, good things ending, etc--we can have an abundant mindset. and truly, abundance comes from God! we are good enough because we are His children! Jesus died for us and gave us everything we need to overcome sin, pain & death. we might struggle when money is tight, feel weary from too many responsibilities, or not have much bandwidth physically or emotionally, but we can be content in every single circumstance because we know that Christ is in control & He will not leave us!! one of my favorite scriptures that comes to mind often is wrriten by paul in phillipians 4:11-13 (esv)--

not that i am speaking of being in need, for i have learned in whatever situation i am to be content. i know how to be brought low, and i know how to abound. in any and every circumstance, i have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. i can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

we will have seasons, like paul, of both abudance & need. but with Christ we can do everything. we are not relying on a successful season to be abounding in peace (verse seven) and strength (2 corinthians 12:9-10 esv):

but He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” therefore i will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. for the sake of Christ, then, i am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. for when i am weak, then i am strong.

with this mindset, we fear no evil, no hardship, no end. good things will come again, and more fully, because God is full of goodness. He is full of joy, mercy, and love. this is why i think religion is so important--it can give you this mindset. as with anything, you can try to cultivate it from a wordly view and say that good things are coming, that everything you need is already within you. but with God, all of that is true and more, because it's not about you, it’s about the literal creator of the universe itself being in control, being your father in heaven, the one you look to for peace and miracles. why not try that out for a bit? and if you do believe, how about combating fear with abundance?

on sunny beautiful days, it's easy for me to think i need to be outside all day and soak it up because i don't know when a day this perfect will come again. which in a way is true, because i want to take advantage of the good things God has blessed me with. but at the same time, if i'm living in this gorgeous day with the fear that this blessing will not come again soon, then how much is that even worth? God has so many more sunny, warm days ahead, so why am i afraid?

what if we saw today as a blessing, but one out of many? only the beginning of the goodness of what God has for you? my first week in my byu ward this year, a girl shared her testimony talking about how faith is having the mindset that “Christ already took care of it.” He took care of things in the past, He’s taking care of things in the present, and He has already prepared a way for us to accomplish the thing which He commanded us to do (1 nephi 3:5). i love this idea that God prepares a way for us is by taking care of everything--He comprehends what we cannot, and He has power to make sure that “all things work together for good to them that love God” (romans 8:28).

when you have this mindset, you start to see a lot of excess in the world. that's a whole other post for another day, but in the meantime, i hope you start to see the abundance around you, and within you.

xoxo, kate