Promises, Peace, & Journal Prompts for Fear & AnxietyНамуна

Fear of Scarcity

Because of the generosity of a stranger, I almost broke my ankle. And I didn’t mind one bit.

The morning hustle was in full swing: book bags, half-eaten toast, finding that OTHER shoe. A typical rushing-around-before-school-morning. And as I opened the door to send my kids off, I just barely made a quick adjustment to step over a huge cardboard box on our front porch.

My kids followed suit, hopping over the box (as if this is how we always exit the house), and off they went, lunchboxes swinging and sweet little goodbyes trailing.

As the kids were off, I turned my attention to the mystery box. What was in there?

Heavier than expected, I heaved it onto my dining room table. Inside I found 16 jars of local, golden, beautiful honey. Left as a gift. From a stranger. To our family.

And I cried.

Because God is an abundant God. And if God knows and sees that we can only use honey as the sweetener for my son’s restricted diet for Crohn’s disease, then He knows and sees all of my other big and small worries. God knew we were on our last jar of honey. And He provided far above and beyond what I had ever imagined.

How often is our anxiety tied to our fear of scarcity? Tied to the idea that there is not enough? Tied to the unbelief about the abundance of our Good Father?

We can find ourselves anxious over thoughts like:

Am I skilled enough to do this? Will I have enough energy to parent through this? Is there enough time to be able to do this?

But with God? Our cup overflows. It doesn’t just fill up…it overflows. Psalm 23 says so. With God? He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and has more than enough for us. With God? He knows no lack and loves to be generous.

God is able to take a child’s lunch and make a feast.

God is able to take an acorn and make a forest.

God is able to take a cross and make a resurrection.

Today, let’s turn our anxious thoughts into an abundance mindset. We have a generous God and He has plenty of whatever we need. Let’s ask him what we need, specifically. He is a good Father and He loves to be generous.

Journal Prompt: What do you fear you will not have enough of today? Where do you find yourself being anxious when it comes to scarcity? Now recall a time when God gave you an abundance of something (time, energy, friends, etc). Praise Him for his past abundance. Remember that He is good.

Suggested Practice: Put a hand on your heart and slowly repeat five times, “My cup overflows.”