I've been thinking about scarcity...

I've been thinking about scarcity. 

I normally love grocery shopping. It's one of the weekly rhythms in the Mathews household- every Saturday morning we meal plan for the week, make a list of items we need, and then head to our local Food Lion and Asian market. The simplicity of spending a couple hours with Jon picking out our groceries has become one of my favorite activities…Until the pandemic happened. What used to be relaxing and fun became extremely stressful; not because of the possibility of getting sick, but because of the fear of not being able to find the items I wanted to get. The possibility of not being able to get milk, eggs, chicken, or anything on my grocery list gave me extreme anxiety.
 

But through this experience, the Holy Spirit has been speaking to my heart and asking me "How often do you live out of a scarcity mindset instead of a kingdom mindset?" The answer?  A lot.
 

I've realized so much of my life I have lived in competition with those around me, from my sister to my friends to my co-workers and even my husband! My scarcity mindset has led me to believe and act like there isn't room for everyone, there isn't enough to go around, and not everyone can be the winner. I've been living in a never-ending competition with people who don't even know we're competing! Instead of celebrating my friends when something good happens, it's easy for me to feel jealous. Instead of having compassion when someone fails, I get prideful and think, "I would never do something like that!" Instead of living a life of peace and contentment, I've been living a life full of striving to make sure all my needs and desires are met versus loving those around me well.

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus..." .

Phillippians 2:3-5 NIV



This is what the kingdom mindset looks like- living selflessly and humbly, putting others before myself, and loving them the way Jesus loves. The kingdom mindset is celebrating others well, even if my needs or desires haven’t been met. It’s making room for others to join in and going out of my way to include others instead of pretending I’m a part of an exclusive club. It’s being content for all that the Lord has given me, instead of comparing myself to others. It's bringing the kingdom of God to our spheres of influence, instead of trying to implement my own kingdom. 
 

So I’ll leave you with a couple questions I’ve been asking myself: Are you living out of a scarcity mindset or are you living out of a kingdom mindset? What is something I can do today to love someone else the way that Jesus loves? How can I celebrate someone else well today?