Understanding God's economy: an attitude of abundance

For years, self-help gurus have been trying to help us understand what makes some people happy and successful, sometimes in spite of tremendous personal tragedy, while others are miserable even when healthy, well-fed and solvent. One of the key differences is a belief in abundance.

Some people view the world as a basically good place with an abundance of resources. Others have a scarcity mentality. They think in terms of getting “a piece of the pie.” In the scarcity mentality, there is only one pie. To get more of it, you must slice it differently or take a piece from somebody else. The abundance mentality is more like the old Dorito’s slogan: “Crunch all you want, we’ll make more.”

Scarcity says “I hate campaign season. All those politicians waste millions of dollars that could have been spent on something important, like housing the poor.” Abundance says, “I love campaign season. All these crazy rich people voluntarily pump millions of dollars into the economy. We don’t even have to tax them!”

Scarcity is the root of jealousy. When others succeed, those of the scarcity mindset count it as a personal failure. Someone is getting more pie! It stands to reason, then, that someone must be getting less pie. They start eyeing their own pie critically. Has it been sliced a tad skinnier while they weren’t looking?

Abundance loves to see others succeed. If my friends and neighbors are bringing in more money, scoring awards, enjoying good relationships or earning scholarships, then I have reason to hope, too. A prime example of this mindset is from the musical “Fiddler on the Roof.” When the poor peasant Tevye announces the engagement of his oldest daughter to the wealthy butcher, the other men in the town sing:

“We’ll raise a glass and sip a drop of schnapps
In honor of the great good luck that favors you,
We know that when good fortune favors two such men,
It stands to reason we deserve it, too!”

This is an attitude of abundance. It leads to generosity. Scarcity, though, leads to hoarding and hating. Scarcity says, “Immigrants are stealing all the jobs!” Abundance says, “Immigration creates job by increasing the demand for goods and services.”

Scarcity says, “Equal pay for equal work is a terrible idea. If companies have to pay women more, they might pay men like me less.” Abundance says, “Everyone should be treated fairly. Besides, if women are paid as well as men, we men won’t have to worry about losing our jobs to lower-paid female employees.”

Scarcity says, “I wish that I had Jessie’s girl.” Abundance says, “There are plenty of fish in the sea.”

Some resources really are finite or limited. Take oil for instance. Fossil fuels are, by definition, a limited resource. The scarcity mentality leads to blood-for-oil wars. Abundance says, “Let’s explore new technologies for wind power and bio-fuels. Together we can do it. Let’s get to work.”

We can find this contrast in the Bible as well. Isaac and Rebecca have twin sons, Jacob and Esau. The twins begin their lives with rivalry, Jacob grasping the heel of first-born Esau. Unfortunately for these boys, both of their parents deal in scarcity. They have only so much favor to bestow, so Papa Isaac favors the hairy outdoorsman Esau, while Mama Rebecca pities the softer son and teaches him to cook a mean lentil stew.

Jacob views the world as a pie. His brother has clearly been given the larger piece of pie, for no other reason than that he was born a few minutes sooner. Because of those few minutes, Esau will receive the father’s blessing and the larger inheritance. Jacob will be expected to serve his slightly-older brother for the rest of his life.

Jacob is determined to increase his share of the pie by stealing his brother’s piece. He conspires with his mother to trick his father into bestowing on him the blessings of the first-born. You probably know the story. Jacob uses goatskins to deceive his father, who is nearly blind. When the mistake is discovered, Esau begs, “Father, bless me, too!”

Isaac’s response is remarkable. He says that he has already given the imposter everything – not just a large piece, but the whole pie. That makes me feel more sympathetic to Jacob. It means that his own father had no intention of blessing him! Jacob’s clever ruse with the goat skins really is the only way he can obtain his father’s blessing.

Esau is the one who snaps out of the scarcity mentality. Sobbing, he says, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me, too, my father!” Somehow, Isaac finds another blessing to bestow.

Hundreds of years later, the descendents of Isaac and Rebecca are crossing the desert to the promised land. God is still trying to teach them about abundance. When they cry for food, God produces manna. This strange bread-like substance descends from the sky every night. There is always enough for today. When some of the Israelites try to hoard the manna, it rots within a single day.

Fast forward several more centuries and we find Jesus echoing this sentiment in the prayer he teaches his disciples: “Give us this day our daily bread.”

In fact, throughout the Gospels, Jesus teaches abundance. When his disciples tell him to send away the hungry crowds, Jesus answers casually, “Why don’t you just feed them?”

The disciples are stumped. With what are they expected to feed some 5,000 men with wives and children? The few coins in their bag will not go far. As for prepared food, they manage to come up with a few fish and a few loaves – only enough for a little boy’s lunch. Jesus multiplies the loaves and fishes, feeds the crowd, and passes baskets to collect the leftovers. That’s abundance!

We don’t have the option of praying over a lunchbox and feeding thousands with it. We are forced to be creative. First, we must recognize that the scarcity mentality has failed us. In a world of rapidly depleting oil, creeping unemployment, hostile governments, and starving children, we cannot afford to view our resources as a pie. Instead we must view them as seeds that can be cultivated and multiplied until there is enough for all.

Scarcity says “We’re all going to die.” Abundance says “We can all live. Let’s get to work.”