When I was a young teenager, it was easy to compare myself to others and find myself lacking. Whether it was body shape, popularity, beauty, or just stuff, it seemed that others had so much more than I did. They were prettier, more athletic, won prizes. Boys flocked to them, not me. They had nicer clothes – whatever I looked at, I had less. I lived a life of scarcity.
During that time, I joined the church youth group. Over and over, our leaders told us we were God’s precious kids. They treated each of us as if we were special. They had time to listen, even to me. They talked about and lived Jesus teaching that each one of us was special, God’s creation. I remember a poster in the church hall that said, “God made you and God doesn’t make junk.” This experience and my parent’s love gradually led me to understand that who I was, God’s precious child, was valuable. I was who God intended me to be. The scarcity in my heart gradually began to shrink.
Motherhood took me another step towards living an abundant life. My children loved and needed me. I thrived as a mother, recognized and took pride in what I did. My teaching career and my church volunteer work with young people showed me I was actually very capable. I finally realized there was no scarcity in who I was as a person. Others still had more, seemed better, stronger, smarter, but the comparison no longer mattered. I had stepped into a world of abundance just because I was me. Sharing became easy. Of course, I wanted to reach out to others. My life overflowed with goodness and gratitude.
Now at age seventy-eight, I am again tempted to compare myself to others. With each new body ache, each new loss of ability to function that comes with age, the path to a life of scarcity opens wider. I am grateful for my lifetime of discovering the abundance that surrounds me every day. Though others possess lots of things, have stronger knees, more energy that need not detract from my abundant life. Today I remind myself of the goodness that abounds in my family’s love, Tom’s love, and my wonderful friends. I know the value of being able to write and publish books. My writing is part of fulfilling God’s purpose for my life today. Choosing to see and welcome the goodness that still surrounds me is a most valuable life lesson. It’s never too late to choose abundance, to focus on what you have in things, talents, love, and friends. It’s never too late to open my eyes to what “is” and be grateful.
Today’s Faith by Rev. Janet Stobie
Today, I suggest you choose life’s abundance. Count your blessings. You will discover the by-products of your abundant life are PEACE, SATISFACTION, GENEROSITY and GRATITUDE. What could be better?
