A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance

John 10:10

Abundance. That is the topic that God has been ruthlessly throwing my direction for about a month now and it all started with a prayer. Every week I go on a prayer walk around my neighborhood using a guide I found on Pinterest. One of the prompts encourages the reader to pray for God’s abundant blessings in your life. Well, on one particular day, I was at my wit’s end with rejection and dealing with my dad’s health, and I just said “God, this is what I got...now show me what You got! You’ve got storehouses of blessings and I need the key.” Then I prayed the Prayer of Jabez (1 Chronicles 4:10) and here we are. My territory is about to be enlarged by leaps and bounds, and I’m standing here wondering “What the heck do I do now? How do I handle this magnitude of abundance?”

In order to live in this abundance, I must have courage, ability, and willingness. 

Courage comes in the form of acknowledging and asking for what is needed. This is my biggest hurdle. Mainly, the fundraising goal of $18,700. In a recent call with a friend to ask for support for this journey, we discussed any and all blocks that would keep me from reaching my fundraising goal. Fear has been my motivator, as it often is. Fear of rejection, fear of judgement, fear of failure. Her advice: abandon the scarcity mindset and latch onto the abundance. This notion shifted my perspective. This is no selfish endeavor I am about to embark on. I am going out in the world to exercise my privilege by giving back. By asking for help, I am giving others the opportunity to go on this journey with me without ever having to step on a plane. I need people on my team to make this adventure possible but they can never join if there’s no invitation. 

I must be able to accept any and all gifts that come my way. Again, this is another leap for someone who fights to do things all on their own. But I have to constantly remind myself, that this is not about me. My work in the next year is about expanding the Kingdom. By allowing others to contribute, I am introducing an opportunity they wouldn’t have otherwise. 

Sadly, I have limited my contributions in the past because of a scarcity mindset. But as I am working towards settling into a place of abundance I have realized that you cannot receive with closed palm. White knuckling what you have can only allow you to keep what you have; there is too much limitation in that mindset. Opening your hands may cause things to slip out BUT they will be open to receive possibly something much greater. That’s the beauty about God’s abundance...there is no end to it. It’s not going to run out before you get a turn. He’s the fountain that never runs dry and He WANTS us to live in the peace of that abundance. And all we have to do is ask, receive, and give it back out.