Sufficiency
A friend of mine sent me an article from the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation newsletter. It really has captured my imagination. I can feel God’s invitation for me to take a serious look at what the author, Shannon Howard is saying.
“We are so convinced that there isn’t enough to go around that we’ve trained ourselves to believe that more is better; it has become the source of much of our selfishness and greed. ”
“When you let go of trying to get more of what you don’t really need, which is what we are all trying get more of, it frees up immense energy to make a difference with what you have. When you make a difference with what you have it expands.”
“Sufficiency isn’t the flip side of scarcity and it isn’t the same as abundance, which is having more than you need. Sufficiency is precise; it means that things are exactly enough.”
As we await in gratitude for year end donations to City House and as I walk with persons on the margins that have so little (and yet who can seem so less stressed than I about having enough) these passages really speak to me with meaning. Sufficiency is a radical new thought for me. How about you?
December 14th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
This idea of sufficiency has gotten me thinking. I liken it to the concept of manna, the food that God provided the Israelites in the wilderness. If they hoarded it, it spoiled. It came every day; just enough for that day. So faith was required for them to eat all that was provided.
I think this idea of manna happens in my life, like sufficiency. If I trust God, I have what I need (not always what I want, thank goodness!) and if I grab for more it sometimes backfires. The real issue is faith and trust, and those are not easy to cultivate in a world that ensures that we always feel deprived if we don’t have more. Thanks for the thoughtful post.
December 14th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
I love the connection you are making here to manna Janet. Another heart tug from God to think and pray about. Thanks for making the comment.
December 14th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
Yes, I like the connection to manna which got me thinking about the begging bowl in some religious and spiritual traditions. The bowls are only the size of one’s hand, just big enough to receive what one needs for one day. I attended a retreat once in which we each made a begging bowl that was just right for our individual hand. Years later, when going through a difficult…and financially challenging time…I would pray each morning holding my begging bowl praying that I would be provided with what I needed for that day for myself and the children. And I always was…never more, only what was needed for that day, day by day until I realized that I had what I needed every week, every month and soon could just lean into that awareness and know that the mystery of all being well was something to trust.
December 15th, 2007 at 7:29 am
I am grateful for this conversation. This morning I meditated on God’s manna in my life. Very meaningful and powerful. Thank you for the image of a begging bowl Emily.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
[...] another post on this blog, a friend of mine, Emily Wilmer, made reference to a begging bowl. Begging Bowl I found this interesting reflection by Rev Rudolph [...]