Trusting in Abundance

"The irony, often tragic, is that by embracing the scarcity assumption, we create the very scarcities we fear. If I hoard material goods, others will have too little and I will never have enough. If I fight my way up the ladder of power, others will be defeated and I will never feel secure. If I get jealous of someone I love, I am likely to drive that person away. If I cling to the words I have written as if they were the last of their kind, the pool of new possibilities will surely go dry. We create scarcity by fearfully accepting it as law and by competing with others for resources as if we were stranded in the Sahara at the last oasis.

In the human world, abundance does not happen automatically. It is created when we have the sense to choose community, to come together to celebrate and share our common store. Whether the scarce resource is money or love or power or words, the true law of life is that we generate more of whatever seems scarce by trusting its supply and passing it around."

-Parker Palmer in "Let Your Life Speak" pg. 107

I was so refreshed when I read that. So many times I find myself filled with fear over things that I sense are scarce. I forget that we worship a God who is the giver of all gifts, resources, abilities, talents, relationships, ideas, strategies, etc. He is the one in charge and He will be faithful to provide when the time is right.

Forgive me for my lack of trust.

Functional Atheism

I'm reading a book by Parker Palmer called "Let Your Life Speak." The book challenges the reader to think long and hard about what their life is trying to tell them about their vocation/life calling. Palmer argues that we spend too much time listening to the world around us for an indication of what we should do with our life. We should spend more time watching our lives, paying attention to what comes naturally to us, what brings us joy, and then align our lives and "vocation" accordingly.

Towards the end of the book, Palmer talks about some "shadow sides" to leadership. One shadow side is what he calls "Functional Atheism."

Functional Atheism - The belief that the ultimate responsibility for everything rests with us. This is the unconscious, unexamined conviction that if anything decent is going to happen here, we are the ones who must make it happen - a conviction held even by people who talk a good game about God. - Parker Palmer

It's a good thing that we want to take ownership/responsibility in order to get things done that need to get done. But, it can cross the line when we feel that the work getting done is TRULY dependent on our unique effort. It IS God working through us. He can take our talent away from us at any point. It's a form of narcissism to think otherwise.

Also, Palmer reminds every leader that "you are not the only act in town." Not only are there other "acts" out there, but some of those "acts" are better than ours. God has others in place for a reason to share the load of ministry and kingdom impact. This is a good reminder for me. Humble myself, empower others, and work hard to to my...part.

Share your thoughts if you have any...