12-1-25
What's the difference between being an intentionally good steward of your resources and living in a scarcity mindset?
Stewardship – being intentional with your resources, not just money – time, energy, physical space, physical stuff, thoughts, and even speech!
Scarcity – holding onto things “just in case” because you consciously or unconsciously feel that God cannot or will not provide beyond what you already have. You feel that God has already provided and you shouldn't squander it.
When did God ever not show up in the hour of someone's need? When did He say that He wouldn't provide?
Yes, sometimes that provision is in preparation for harder times, like with Joseph instructed Pharaoh to take the plentiful crops and store them up for the seven years of famine that were to come. But that was specific instruction for an overflowing bounty. He didn't say to ration everyone's food as they stored the extra “just in case”. He followed God’s instructions specifically.
During the Exodus from Egypt, mana was only stored on the sixth day in preparation for the Sabbath so that everyone would honor the Sabbath (including God – He didn't make more mana, He rested with the Israelites). Any other day that mana was stored up, it would go sour and grow worms.
Being intentional is ensuring that you're investing each resource responsibly. Spending your money wisely doesn't mean pinching the life out of every penny you spend but ensuring that you're purchasing quality items that will serve you and your home. I shop sales and do my best to save money where I can, but I also make sure that I purchase quality things for my home and family. We buy locally produced milk in glass bottles over buying the lower priced milk that I find to be a lower quality product. The locally produced milk lasts longer, tastes better, and seems to be easier on our systems. It's not the “more affordable” option in terms of money, but I am investing in a local family-owned business that provides a product that in turn is better for my health.
On the other side of the coin, I go to the most affordable shop in town for my oil changes for my vehicles, I try to buy clothes on sale or on clearance – especially at the thrift store, and I buy store brand for most of my paper goods. I do buy specific brands for cleaning supplies, but I buy them at their best price available – I shop sales, check coupons, and check the price per unit at different stores to make sure I'm getting the best value for my money.
A scarcity mindset is not trusting that what you have can be replaced, or buying the cheapest option because the other options aren't worth the investment. To you, they don't serve better than the cheapest option; often times, that isn't the case.
Scarcity is that stack of “just in case” items you have at home that you can see purpose and use for them in specific scenarios. It's focusing on the fact that what you have could be of value eventually, not that it’s taking up space or even preventing you from having something better in its place.
By keeping things that may have value in very specific situations, you're telling yourself, (and God), that you don't expect God to provide when you have needs. You may say, “no, He provides everything for us in all situations. This could just be that He's provided it now for me to save for later.”
When God tells you to save something for later, it's usually under very specific instructions, like I mentioned earlier with mana and the forecasted famine with Joseph. God met David's needs as he hid from Saul. He gave David seasons of comfort and stability, (like when he had a home in Ziklag), but each season presented its own challenges, all of which God provided solutions right on time.
There's nothing wrong with having appropriate supplies and savings. Keep bandages in your cabinet for cuts and scrapes, have a set of plates and cutlery for when guests come over, and have a nice dress or suit for special occasions. But saving things for “just in case” or because “it’s still valuable/it can be fixed” is having more faith in the lack in your life than in God’s ability to provide for you, in all areas big and small.
Clutter and excessive storing and saving – the “I can fix this” pile of broken items that you can't seem to put out with the trash, or the “I spent so much money on this, I can't just throw it away” things that no longer serve any purpose in your home except to take up space – is the opposite of being a good steward.
A more secular but sound way of looking at anything that may be in excess in your home can be found in teachings and books by Gretchen Rubin. She suggests that you should look at things in your home as employees. That toaster that doesn’t work anymore is no longer a productive employee – you should fire it and replace it with something that does do what you need. Before you replace it, do you have something else in your home that will do the same thing in the way that you want? How about the three extra sets of dishes that you have stored up “just in case”? When have you ever had 18 guests over and they demanded you break out your good china instead of using paper plates and plastic utensils? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
Keep what serves you. In the vein of place settings, I have enough plates in my cabinet to feed 6 people at once. I rarely have that much company, (mostly because I live in a very small house and I'm not sure 6 people would fit in my dining area), but it's enough for my husband and me to have what we need and not have to immediately wash the plate or bowl or cup that we used. It's a good balance.
Just like the handfuls of screws and nails that I have stashed with my tools. I have some on hand if I want or need to use them, but I don’t have enough to stock an aisle at Home Depot. I also have few enough that I don't have to think about how I'm going to store or organize the excess.
On the other hand, I struggle with stationary. I love pens, notebooks, highlighters, and stickers. I have way more of these things than I could use in a reasonable amount of time, and I struggle to keep myself from buying more when I see a good sale. It's something I'm working on.
I know some people that will stop and pick up just about anything on the side of the road because “it’s still in good shape” or “this can be fixed and used”. And it ends up stashed somewhere in their spare room or storage shed to be forgotten about. Some of these items actually do go to good use – specifically bungie cords. I don't think I’ve ever paid for a big, black bungie cord in my life. I will salvage them when they’re on the side of the road if it's safe, they’re incredibly handy, and take up basically no space in the back of my vehicle. Plus, when you need one and you don't have it, you will remember every single one you drove past. But no one needs three spare coffee pots or warped Tupperware hiding in random closets.
God can't give you something new if your hands are full of all the old, are He won't bless you with garbage. He won't give you something broken to solve a problem. You cannot transition into a new season with the old season's cast offs. God is a God of cycles and systems. And He says to us that He wants us to trust Him for every need and want. But He cannot do that if we don't allow Him. If we put God in a box and say “He only provides once,” or “He provided here but I have to make do in other places,” we're convincing ourselves that God doesn't keep His promises to us; we tie His hands. He won't do something in your life that you don’t have faith and believe that He will.
I can hear it now – “What about used items or project items you want to restore?” Here's a question to ponder – did you ask God for a lesson in patience? Did you ask Him for an opportunity to bless someone else? Did you ask for something to keep your hands busy so your mind won't run in circles? If you did, He may have given you exactly what you asked for in that instance. I had a project car once – a 1982 El Camino. I loved that vehicle, and I genuinely wish I hadn't sold it. If I had waited just a few months more, I would have been in a financial position to really restore it and make her road-worthy. I don't know if it was a lesson in patience on my part – to learn when to buy things or when to let them pass me by (it was a car I always wanted and still do, but my timing may not have been right). Or maybe it was a lesson that I failed – to wait until the timing and the resources lined up to be rewarded with a fully restored vehicle that I owned outright and loved.
I know that, either way, the gentleman who bought it from me had missed an opportunity to own one and restore it in the past; his judgement was clouded, and he didn’t appreciate what he had then. I hope my old El Camino is serving him well now.
I not only learned a lot about vehicles when I had that car, but I learned a lot about patience and understanding that money wasn't the only resource I needed to steward well.
In regard to used cars in general – out of the 13 vehicles I've ever owned, I've only every bought one brand new, and I don't own it anymore. I don't regret trading it in when I did, but I won’t lie – my life would be easier today if I had just kept it back then. It would be paid off, and it would be serving my family well. As it sits now, we’re still in a good position, and we have exactly what we need. I also had the opportunity to bless another person by trading that car in to get something else. I've blessed many other people simply because of that one interaction at the dealership. I can say without a doubt it was the right thing to do, even if things would be easier if I hadn't.
At the end of the day, God has specific convictions and instructions for all of us. But what stands true for everyone, no matter what, is this:
Seek first the Kingdom and God's desires, listen to the Holy Spirit when He guides you, and steward all your resources with open hands and a surrendered heart. Be mindful and intentional and ask the Lord for guidance in your stewardship.
Even if it's uncomfortable, sounds crazy, or just down-right hurts – God's plan for you will bring to fruition so much more than you could have ever imagined. Be obedient, and watch Him bless you beyond measure.
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