Abundance mindset
You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. –Psalm 139:1-4 (NIV)
This week, I heard from a friend who is going through a rough season. She was physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. She expressed hopelessness to my wife and me, doubting her abilities, her worth, and her future. It was a moment we needed to step into, unsure what to say, or whether it was appropriate to say anything at all. “Buck up, little buckaroo!” seemed a little trite.
Indeed, we need more than platitudes and the power of positive thinking to sustain us in such times. Sometimes “just being there” is the best medicine – no words are required. But when the moment is right, it’s also appropriate to remind one another who we are and whose we are. There is no trial we will encounter that wasn’t vetted by our Father as (a) something we were ready for, (b) something we could grow from, and (c) something that would bring blessing for us and glory to Him.
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. –Psalm 139:7-10 (NIV)
Memory of these things springs from an “abundance mindset”. It shows up in people who believe God is in control and He is a God of plenty: I am loved; I am neither forsaken nor forgotten. God desires my best. Setbacks are temporary and they have a purpose that is contributing to my ultimate good. We see this in many of the psalms, and most all the ones that qualify as laments. They start with a complaint, specify a remedy, then reset perspective in light of God’s faithfulness.
It’s simple, but it’s real and it works. God is big enough to let us vent, but relief comes when we step back from the immediate problem and see it in context of what God wants to accomplish in us, through us, and for us. A “scarcity mindset” is unable to make that shift. People trapped in this pattern consistently respond in fear. They hold tightly to what they have because they just can’t afford to lose any more. They see the cloud behind every silver lining and they’re convinced life is out to get them.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. –Psalm 139:13-16 (NIV)
Most of us visit this dark place from time to time. Faithful friends help us avoid camping there. My wife and I were able to do this for our friend. We let her cry, then we came alongside with comfort and help, then we shared some truth regarding how her heavenly Father sees her. I’m thankful we have a big, lavish God who never rations His grace or His blessings. Enjoy Him today and watch for those chances to pass it on.
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. –Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)