Abundance

What is Abundance?

Over the past few years there have been an increasing number of references to the word abundance. It has been discussed and discussed again in a number of books, talk shows etc. Growing up I always understood it to mean having more than enough of anything one could possibly want or need. I am coming to understand it in a totally different way.

I think for most people, and I will put myself in the mix, there is an underlying fear that we won't have abundance, further separating the haves from the have nots. I think the mistake we make is thinking that the words 'abundance' and 'money' are one and the same.

They are not.

I used to believe that if I made enough money, I would never lack for anything. But what did it really 'buy' me? Cool shoes? Nice clothes? A house that is too big for me or my needs? I can go on and on.

Money is not abundance. There is a saying which goes something like this "The level of your expenses will rise to meet the level of your income". Basically, the more you make the more you spend. Problems begin with spending more than you make. With ever increasing ways to get access to money one doesn't yet have, its no wonder that the sense of 'lack' is always surrounding us like a veil we can't quite see through.

I was reading an article this morning about the increasing number of survivalists and it got me thinking. God gave us everything we could ever need in order to survive. We are society of 'is anything ever enough'? This creates more of the sense of lacking . Nothing is ever enough. To make up for it we work longer hours, spend less time with family and friends and then wonder why is it we are so unhappy.

When shedding a way of life which no longer works for you there is a tendency to go through a withdrawal. We stop being grateful for that which we have, and instead our tendency is to focus on what we no longer have access to; regardless of whether it is something which is actually needed and therefore, necessary.

We were never meant to go without but every person's level of need is completely different from any other. My needs and desires are not the same as yours. Save of course, air to breathe there is very little that we all have in common in order to survive. You might say food or shelter, but even those would be wrong. The food my body needs and the food your body needs are not the same to function at peak. There are food allergies which prohibit one body from getting nourishment from the same food source which is indispensble to another. In fact, it may be downright poisonous for a person. Your idea of a home is completely different from mine. Where one person may be happy living in an apartment, another would be happy in a house and then we can go on to talk about the size of those abodes...you get the picture.

I think for me I have to begin looking at ways that my 'body' will best flourish. The answers as to which form of exercise, which types of foods etc., is right for me is as individual as who I am. Just like there are no two snowflakes alike, no two people are alike.

To create our abundance, we need to first understand what it is that we as individuals require to be happy. It doesn't come in a box or bag. We'll get snippets of it in things we read or hear. They will trigger a thought process which once it becomes ingrained, will lead us to find the balance that will create the sense of peace and happiness we desire.

It is there. It is within reach. All we really have to do is find it in ourselves to believe that we will be able to access that which will bring us contentment.