The Privileged Life: Desperation vs. Abundance? Choose an Anxiety-Alleviating Attitude!

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8) 

Friends, allow me to introduce you to my blogging comrade, Mama Lava. Her posts are filled with an admiration for God’s beautiful creation, a reverence for Scripture, and a whole lotta love for Jesus and you. Come with me to her Back Porch! 

Mama Lava lives across the country from me, and through the blessing of the internet, she has become a source of inspiration and correspondence for me. I look forward to receiving her blogs not only because they’re uplifting but also because they’re very honest. Her readers can count on messages that come straight from her mama heart—full of cheer, solid faith, and a winsome humor in difficult moments. 

Since she and I have been looking for an opportunity to engage in a “blog swap,” I’m reprinting her tale here from a particularly anxiety-ridden period—the Covid pandemic. Even though we all continue to deal long-term with the repercussions and ongoing presence of Covid, we can certainly learn from our moments of desperation and despair during those early months. Mama Lava gives us food for thought…as she looks to the Bread of Life. Here’s her lesson from a common dilemma during the shortages: 

By Mama Lava

Desperation will cause us to do crazy things! I have an embarrassing, but poignant, case in point. 

When Covid hit, I saw an opportunity to do something I’d been wanting to do. I would begin baking my own bread. Not only would it be healthier than the alternative, but it would also save money and trips to the grocer. If you remember, the lines outside stores were long and cold, as they allowed only a few people in at a time.

I already had the ingredients I needed. Well, all except one. I needed yeast.

My grocery store didn’t have any. I realized many people were thinking like I was, spurred by the fact that bread had become difficult to find. The shelf was completely bare, and there was no assurance it would be restocked any time soon. 

I went to Amazon for yeast. Also sold out? Interesting!

I looked at my Sam’s Club app. They didn’t have any either. I started to panic a bit.

Desperation

I signed up for a notification from Sam’s Club for such time as they would have yeast back in stock. I also checked the app every day. It became a kind of obsession as I thought about all the things I could, would, and should bake, if only I had yeast.

Finally, several weeks later, I received a notification from Sam’s. They did not have any in my local store yet, but they had some in a warehouse, and were willing to ship it to me. Its price reflected the low supply and high demand. 

I’d become desperate, erroneously imagining my family in dire straits, their very lives sustained only by my ability to make bread. I didn’t know if or when I’d be able to find it again. I purchased two.

Abundance

When it arrived, I felt foolish. The packages were huge! Two pounds each! I realized my desperation had led me to do a crazy thing. I wasn’t going to use all that yeast!

I asked my friends if they wanted any, but it was still early in the pandemic, and nobody knew if it was safe to take something from someone else’s home. I froze most of it after reading it might last longer at low temperatures. For as long as the lockdowns lasted, I only used a portion of that yeast. 

But do you know what I never did again after receiving so much? Panic about feeding my family. I no longer obsessed over having what I needed to make bread.

You see, that shipment switched my perspective. Instead of a position of desperation, I was suddenly coming from a position of abundance. I had more than enough.

It is an embarrassing story, but it highlights something I want to share with you today. When we are in a position of abundance, we relax. We turn our focus to what is actually important. And we share freely and easily. 

My precious friends, God has given us access to all He has! His children live in a position of abundance. 

Do we need joy? He will give us our fill whenever we ask. 

Do we need patience? (Yes, please!) 

How about contentment? Love? He has it in spades!

Wisdom? Oh wisdom! I need that. And I long to have it available to give.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5)

His storehouses are open to us! Do you know what that means? The abundance in which we live is inexhaustible. We don’t need to hoard, panic, or obsess over anything. And there is no reason to withhold.

Forgiveness! Compassion! Kindness! 

God beckons us to approach, partake, and pass His resources around. He wants us to give freely with the knowledge that He has more than enough for everyone. The more we give, the more He rewards and replenishes.

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.’” (Luke 6:38)

What is it you need today? God has it. 

What are you reticent to give? God has more than enough to go around.

My dear friend, if you are a child of God, you have access to everything He has. You never have to be driven by desperation. You are in a position of abundance. 

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Did you enjoy Mama Lava’s insights? I invite you to check out her blogs, subscribe to them, and find your mailbox filled with her delightful wisdom. She includes beautiful photos, too. I hope you’ll be as blessed as I am to spend a few minutes each week with Mama Lava on her Back Porch, “a place of rest and encouragement.” It’s a joy to count her as a friend and sister in Christ! You’ll find her here:  https://mamalava.wordpress.com

Heavenly Creator, our Jehovah Jireh, thank You for the outpouring of Your abundant life to us through Your Holy Spirit. Thank You for reminding us of Your presence, peace, patience, and promises, given to us without limit. Thank You for pouring Your light into our lives that we might shun the darkness and look only to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Nancy C. Williams is a Christian wife/mom with a writing career spanning more than 40 years in business and journalism. Williams is the author of the novel To Love a Falcon and the devotional book A Crocus in the Desert: Devotions, Stories, and Prayers for Women Experiencing Infertility. Her weekly blogs are featured on Crossmap.com. To follow Nancy’s posts and news, go to her home page at http://lightbournecreative.com and subscribe at the bottom. 

© Copyright 2024 Nancy C. Williams, Lightbourne Creative (text and photography, unless otherwise attributed) Unless otherwise noted, Scripture verses are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. (Note: Scriptures used by Mama Lava are from the New International Version.)

#pandemicshortage #yeast #breadmaking #pandemicanxiety #abundantlife #covidpandemic #desperatelife  #bread #Jesus #breadoflife

For my own bread-baking experience and a great recipe, check out my 2021 blog–https://lightbournecreative.com/2021/02/01/the-privileged-life-bread-maker/