In our worry-laden culture, many of us have shrinking worlds. Let me explain what I mean by that. Because we exist in a society that is immersed in fear, we tend to see our life and its possibilities through a lens of scarcity and lack. But what are we so afraid of? Many of us are in a kind of vortex of worry and we don’t even realize that we are. We are rushed, hurried, and driven not by our true desires, but by our feelings of never having enough, whether it’s time, money, opportunities, friendship, or freedom. The problem with this is that when we focus on everything we don’t have, our lives begin to lose their luster and dreaming becomes nearly impossible.

The fruit of the mentality of scarcity is that we grow protective of what we do have and angry when people don’t give us what we need. This is why I believe that a lot of the bad behavior in our world is not actually coming from a place of evil or ill intent, but rather from a place of fear and a constant sense of insufficiency. For example, if you yell at your spouse, it’s probably because you feel a lack of something in your marriage and it frightens you. There are a slew of deeper, unconscious needs and fears that drive many of our behaviors, and they are all rooted in lack!

Friend, here’s the good news: you have power to cultivate positive change in your life and your culture because with Jesus, you lack nothing! When you are tempted to give into fear, frustration, and despair, remember that you belong to a God who is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving and who supplies everything that you need! He is your source and because He is the antidote to fear, He brings hope, light, encouragement, and joy when you feel like you have none. As He infuses His love into your life and circumstances, your shrinking world quickly expands and grows brighter in the light of His sufficiency. Isn’t that fantastic news?