An Abundance Mindset

A couple of months ago, I learned about this thing called an “abundance mindset” (as opposed to a “scarcity mindset”). With a scarcity mindset, you’re constantly worrying that you don’t have enough—enough money, enough time, enough things accomplished during your day—and you constantly feel “behind” and stressed because of it.

That’s what I’ve been feeling lately, especially about time. Even if I do manage to stay on top of everything I NEED to do, there are so many more things I WANT to do that I just can’t seem to find the time for. I want to work more, I want to write more, I want to spend more time with my kids and other people that I love. I just want so much! So how do I find the time???

Well, about a week ago, I took that question to God in prayer. I explained how I was feeling, I mentioned how the things I wanted to do were all righteous desires, and then I asked Him to help me. I wanted to pray for more time—maybe He could sneak a few extra minutes/hours into my day every once in a while?—but I knew the answer would probably come in another way. So mostly I just prayed for an abundance mindset—a feeling that I DID have enough time to accomplish what was most important to me—and the ability to use that time wisely.

I also kind of “made a deal” with Him, quoting Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” I told Him that I’d do my best to put Him first in my life and focus more on people than on tasks. In exchange, I hoped that all my other desires would be “added unto [me].”

Then something miraculous happened.

I started having 25-hour days, 26-hour days, and sometimes even 30-hour days!

Of course, that didn’t literally happen, but WOW did it feel like it!

I’m serious. It was the most productive (and surprisingly, the most balanced) week I’ve had in months. It turns out that I DO have time—it had just been hiding in the little cracks of my day, which had previously been automatically filled with Facebook scrolling, news browsing, and Sudoku. Turns out I don’t need my laptop to write—I can write on my phone whenever I have a spare minute during the day. God blessed me with idea after idea about how I could maximize my productivity (without skimping on my relationships with others or with Him), and I was also blessed with the help of others which freed up even more time for me to pursue my goals.

Now, technically I knew all this before. I knew that there were little grains of time scattered throughout my day that could possibly amount to a beautiful sandcastle if I were to gather them all together. But those moments would often fall by the wayside because I didn’t have enough energy or motivation to use them wisely. I’d scroll social media to escape the stress of motherhood, if only for a few minutes. I’d relax in the evening with a TV show or two because I’d be so exhausted from the long day of trying to get everything done. Because having a scarcity mindset IS exhausting—and no matter what you do, you feel like it’s never enough.

But what God blessed me with was exactly what I had prayed for and more:

An abundance mindset to feel like I really do have enough time.

Wisdom to know what matters most today and what can wait until tomorrow.

Motivation to keep moving forward with my goals.

Energy to gather those little grains of time and make from them a masterpiece.

One of my favorite scriptures is Philippians 4:13, which says, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” I have that scripture framed on my bedroom wall, and when I glanced at it yesterday, I couldn’t help but smile as I thought about my incredible week.

I can do ALL things through Christ which strengtheneth me—all the things I need to do, and all the things I want to do.

I truly believe that now.