My husband Ron has often made the joke that we have been in a never-ending conversation that started over 36 years ago haha

And If the conversations between us were recorded I think you might find it interesting or Weird or Obsessive. haha how often we talk about The Garden and God and Adam and Eve…

It’s such a starting point and foundation for our faith and a beautiful picture of God’s heart and intention from the beginning of humanity

And just when we think there can’t be any other angle to dive into … one pops into our mind.

One morning earlier this week I was reading and writing and I was talking to God about abundance as happens quite frequently I felt a check in my spirit as I asked God to help me step fully into abundance … and was reminded of what I know to be true that he has already provided everything I need for every area of my life. He is abundance.

The words of Jesus found in John 10:10 tell us

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.

I know these words and would say I believe them to be true. But to be totally transparent … I struggle with maintaining this mindset and living fully in an attitude of abundance.

I know it to be true in my heart and my head but then my flesh quickly pulls me into a scarcity mindset.

As I was writing these thoughts and prayers out I found myself writing a thought that immediately popped into my mind…

Eve was living in scarcity when she believed a lie.

I then wrote out a question ///What lie am I believing that is altering my destiny?

Here Eve was living in paradise and scripture tells us that the God of everything that was and is came and walked with her and Adam and yet …

Instead of standing fully in the abundance of all that God is she found herself in a scarcity mindset that opened her up to believing a lie.

Having a scarcity mindset over an abundance mindset can play out on many different levels in our lives.

Hanging onto things you never use and haven’t used in 10/20 years…just in case…is a scarcity mindset. If you really find yourself needing that certain thing at some point you can buy another one.

We can have a scarcity mindset around food…I’m not talking about the aspect of having enough food… but more about the mindset we can have when we are around food.  Years ago a friend of mine that had lost a lot of weight at one point in her life told me something that was such an insightful point that I’ve never forgotten. She said things changed for her when she changed her mindset while eating….instead of continuing to eat whatever it was that she loved and enjoyed past the point of being full she would tell herself…this isn’t the last time you will have the opportunity to eat this … you can have it again!   That is such a practical example of choosing to have an abundance mindset over scarcity.

Creativity is another area that you could find yourself struggling to live in an abundance mentality.  My 2 daughters are the oldest of our 5 children and for over a decade, they ran a dance studio that had an annual recital at the end of the season. Every year the choreography and growth of the dancers exceeded the previous year. And I would be so moved by the dances and the entire experience ( the recital was actually named that ) and in my mind, I would have the thought …how can they top this?!  This was such a powerful experience what if the inspiration just isn’t there to choreograph such powerful pieces next year??

And then the next year would come around and guess what… it was the best year ever…better than before…

Do you know why? Because we are created to create and when we show up and stand in this spirit of abundance it’s like a river that keeps on flowing and never runs dry.

Opposed to the mindset of scarcity that feels desperate and fearful that there's nothing left where that inspiration came from.

I’m thinking about love…

Those of you that are parents probably had these thoughts when you had your first child. You are so in love with this little human that has filled so much space in your heart and your entire lives that you cannot even fathom how you could have any more love for another child. Yet, you realize that love expands as we open our hearts and lives and allow it to. You have the next child and the next child and it’s hard to imagine that you even had that question of how you could love more.

Some of you might be starting week 5 in the summer journal this week which is called Summer Grace.

Grace is this beautiful gift one of the most famous songs “amazing grace” is known and sung by most of the world and yet as familiar as we are with the word grace…it’s sometimes hard for us to receive.

I think I touched on this in last week's episode but there’s something deep inside of us that struggles to not feel like we have to earn it.  That in order to receive grace we have to do something to deserve it. 

Which totally goes against the idea of what it means to give someone a gift. It’s a gift to be received.

We have been invited to learn and live in the unforced rhythms of grace.

Unforced is an important word in this invitation.

You can’t force grace.

Grace is a beautiful gift to be received.

And it's amazing and abundant

I’m going to ask you the question that I’ve been thinking about and asking God to reveal to me…

What lie are you believing that is altering your destiny?

I brought up Eve and I think we can all agree that her choice altered the course of her life.

Free will do that for you…

But grace will also show up in our choices in all of its abundance and amazingness and continue to finish what was started in us…

Detours and all!

I think one of the lies Eve believed is a big one we continue to struggle with.

Looking to and putting our trust in someone or something over God’s voice and truth.

He wants to live in and flow through each of our lives uniquely AND ABUNDANTLY…just as he designed and purposed.

What lie have you been believing that has you doubting all that he has already provided for you …you just need to believe it and receive the gift

He is for you friend 

And he is faithful!