“For whoever has, to him, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
Matthew 13:12
I was in my pre-teenage years when I first read this passage. At the time, I couldn’t understand why Jesus would say such a thing, considering he was meant to be a kind and loving Messiah.
It is only now in my forties that I am beginning to appreciate the deeper meaning of this statement.
This statement is contrary to our welfare society in Britain at least, where the Government seeks to assist people and families who earn below a certain threshold. In fact, if you earn more than a certain pay bracket, you could be paying up to a third of your income in tax. The tax we pay helps to fund some specific government initiatives. For example, in case you didn’t realise, the National Insurance payments go towards state benefits and services, including:
- the NHS
- the State Pension
- unemployment benefits
- sickness and disability allowances
While this is not a taxation handout, I just wanted to highlight how those who are deemed to have more indirectly provide for those who don’t.
Some may think that this arrangement is somewhat unfair; after all, those who have only do so because they have worked hard for their hard-earned money.
I believe in social work and looking after those who are less privileged. The Bible supports this also by stating that “He who pities the poor lends to the Lord, And He will pay back what he has given.” – Proverbs 19:17.
However, the same Bible says that “For whoever has, to him, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
This statement leads me to wonder whether being poor does not necessarily mean someone has a ‘lack’ mindset. Otherwise, we won’t witness some poor folks who later become incredibly wealthy. It presupposes that everyone has the opportunity to have, but it all depends on the mindset. In this passage, some people were able to have more, while others were unable to because of the state of their hearts.
I started this year questioning and challenging myself and my family about those areas of our lives where we feel helpless and lacking. Acknowledging a lack is not the main issue but affirming the lack is the bigger problem.
It is the reason I sometimes struggle to be consistent with my walking routine or healthy eating plan. I make all sorts of excuses to myself and others about how I am so busy and don’t have time to plan my meals. This position inadvertently puts me in the ‘lack’ zone – the inability to create solutions that work, inability to maintain discipline. I did not realise that the more I thought of my self as lacking the time, effort, and discipline, I was re-enforcing the ‘lack’ mindset in my life.
There are several ways that we exhibit this type of mindset and below are some examples:
- I can’t save because I earn so little
- I can’t be on time to make an appointment or attend work because I am not a morning person
- Others are just more talented or more academic, and I am not
- No one is perfect!
- I do not have time to pray or rest – there’s just too much going on in my life.
- People are just not trustworthy.
- If I was smarter, more beautiful or handsome, or if I had more money, I’d be able to start that business, write that book or make a six-figure income.
- If it weren’t for my spouse’s or children’s attitude towards me, I would be a great husband, wife or parent.
The list goes on and on, and I hope you can add yours at the bottom of my list. The trouble is while having a ‘lack’ mentality can absolve us of all responsibility or make us feel good in the moment, it has a negative influence on our ability to fulfil our potential.
Instead of the problems associated with a ‘lack’ mentality, an abundance mindset will free us to think bigger and better. An abundance mentality allows us to remain fresh and not entrenched in old patterns of thought and behaviour. It releases our creative genius to find newer and better ways to problem-solving. It also enables us to expect that positive things will eventually happen for us and others. It makes us curious and keeps our hearts open to great adventures.
It is why ” whoever has, to him, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
So, as we begin the journey into this year and a new decade, I would like to encourage you to come on this journey with me. I know that no one chooses a ‘lack’ mentality as a way of being. Instead, our experiences, culture, what others tell us we can or cannot do or what we have learnt to say to ourselves to soothe our sense of failure and pain makes us camp in this state of mind. We, therefore, become rigid and closed to new ideas and opportunities.
However, if we are to make progress or grow, albeit slowly, we will need to ditch the excuses we have invented — these excuses are cover-ups for our real fear of failing and anxieties.
How can we then go from someone with a ‘lack’ mentality to somebody with an abundance mindset?
We need to:
- Be kind to ourselves and face the realities that we are trying to ignore
- Be intentional and increase our self-awareness
- Discard the excuses – as soothing as they seem
- Seek help and be prepared to start small
- Take responsibility for our actions
- Be ready to fight for what we believe in rather than just wishing it to happen
- Develop a clear strategy for our vision and stay committed to fulfilling it