WHAT DOES ABUNDANCE REALLY MEAN?
It seems that in today's world we're all looking for an abundant life. I was thinking about what a rich and meaningful word "abundance" is......and then I got to thinking how the meaning of "abundance" changes depending on your world view and what you consider to be important in life. For some it's all about earning a big salary and being rich, for others it's about living a full and fruitful life, and that ties in with how you define "full and fruitful" - because some people seem to need more than others to feel a sense of contentment with what they have.
ABUNDANCE AND WEALTH
So many people tie the thought of abundance up with wealth and riches and all the little luxuries that having lots of money can buy. To them it means having unlimited funds, a big budget to spend on whatever takes their fancy, and so much money in the bank that they'll never want for anything. But is that what abundance is really all about? Does having more money than you know what to do with give you a depth and richness of character? Can owning piles of money really fulfill your life?The problem with looking for abundance in cold, hard cash is that it often goes hand in hand with working long hours, high pressure work environments, and never having enough spare time to really enjoy the fruit of your labour. Or you slave away to pay for all the toys you buy to distract yourself from the work you have to do to earn them. The luxury holidays often aren't enough to take away the stress you carry, and your world tends to revolve around work, work, work - and nobody wants to live like that.
ABUNDANCE AND EXPECTATIONS
The other "abundance" that I came across is the use of the word in positive affirmations and wishing abundance on yourself by declaring your worth and expecting good things to be heaped upon you by a benevolent universe. Pinterest is full of affirmation declarations that are supposed to bring abundance into your life, it only takes a quick search to have them competing with each other for your attention.But is that really how life works? Can we just make wild and wonderful statements and expect everything to come up roses for us all the time? Can we send up our prayers for abundant blessings and expect to live a life of ease? I think that type of wishful thinking has more to do with pixie dust and fairies than it does with real life and learning to live with what we've been given.
WHAT ABUNDANCE MEANS TO ME
I have a different view of abundance. I think it's about seeing all that you already have and realizing that it is often more than you need. Acknowledging that you have been blessed with so much and showing appreciation for it. It's not about money, it's about family and friends, warmth and comfort, love and connection, and so much more. And the contentment we feel when we stop for a moment to appreciate the joy they bring to our lives.GRATITUDE AND SHARING OUR BLESSINGS
Perhaps it's time to look into our own hearts and see if we are showing gratitude for having more than we need. Maybe we need to look away from what the world tells us we should be piling up, and instead focus on being grateful for the abundance we already have and then sharing some of that with those who have a little less than us. Sharing our time, or our talent, or our knowledge, or our love - the things in life we have plenty of already and can afford to give away.via Life On Purpose |
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Do you feel like you're living abundantly - or is the grass greener on the other side of the fence? Are you always looking to make more money so you can buy more "stuff", or are you finding balance and joy with knowing that you have more than enough already?
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Abundance mostly for me relates to something huge.
ReplyDeleteI think of the sky,maybe the universe.
I am still not sure about my abundance like in personal level :)
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It's all related really Dee Dee - it's about seeing how much you have - sky, sun, joy, peace, whatever and being grateful for every little bit :)
DeleteSo much yes from me to all of this. Abundance is not about hoarding – – in fact I'm working so hard to manifest more financial abundance in my life so it gives me the opportunity to give it away. You're right. It's about gratitude for what we have and it's about no longer living from a place of scarcity!!
ReplyDeleteI quite like that you want to use an Abundance mantra to share the love Carla - it certainly beats all the ones that are about scooping it all in to yourself and sitting on it greedily.
DeleteI agree with you. For me... abundance means knowing you have all you need. It isn't about raining money down on me so I can roll around in it. Its about the sense of calm you have as you sit on your porch, with people you love, knowing in the moment everything is ok.
ReplyDeleteYou summed it up beautifully Michele - it's that feeling of utter contentment when you realize how blessed you are with what you have been given - rolling in money doesn't even come close to comparing with that.
DeleteSo refreshing, I believe abundance comes when we are grateful for what we have and who we have in our lives!
ReplyDeleteExactly Andrea - contentment with what we have and appreciation of the people we share our lives with is the key to abundance isn't it?
DeleteWhen I read that title I immediately thought "oh, I guess I should finish that draft I started a while ago." I was going to write about the kids' second hand fair that takes place at our village bi-annually. Clothes, shoes, car seats, sports equipment are being presented at the school gym (lots of space!) by the Moms, and children try to sell their toys, books and DVDs.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, the abundance of STUFF!!!
Whereas clothes and things you need as the kids outgrow their current ones sell pretty well, nobody wants the toys because they all have too many as it is... It was so sad to see it so "visually"!
MAYBE ABUNDANCE IS ABOUT APPRECIATION: Amen to that!
I see that all the time at Swap Meets Tamara - so many toys that are being sold because every child has ten times more than what they need - my little granddaughter turned one last week and was showered with more toys than she'll use in a lifetime. We live in a world of ridiculous excesses don't we?
DeleteI know that I am abundantly blessed. Your suggestion about maintaining a grateful attitude is a wise one.
ReplyDeleteOnce we pause and recognize how blessed we are then we can't help but be grateful can we Carol? I wouldn't swap my life with any of the wealthy people I see floating through magazines.
DeleteI totally agree, Leanne. For me, abundance is not about how much we have but how we value what is in our lives. Again and again, research on happiness lists 'gratitude' as one of the top keys to 'happiness.' Thank you for this inspiring post!
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right about it being about what we value - if we only focus on the material possessions we can gain, then we will never be satisfied because there's always someone with more than us.
DeleteI absolutely agree with you, Leanne. And I admit that lately, I've been bemoaning that which we do not have at the moment, rather than focusing on how much we actually do. It's a mindset problem that needs to be REset. Thanks for the reminder. Lovely and inspiring post.
ReplyDeleteIt's so easy to get caught up in the "have nots" isn't it Lisa? I guess it comes back to deciding what's really important and focusing our time and attention on that and being grateful we have the luxury of choice.
DeleteSuch great words on this subject... our culture is one of excess.. and of discontentment. Being content can be seen as being lazy and not trying our best to get ahead... Trusting God in the midst of trials can be seen as not having enough faith that God will release you from the trial... and on and on. We are pushed to see abundant life as more... more money, prestige, power, freedom from pain, etc. etc. Being thankful is quite outdated in the world, but still so important in a life that is pleasing to God and it has been absolutely amazing to me that God can and does give joy even in the midst of trials...when we walk with Him.
ReplyDeleteI can completely relate to what you're saying Joy - God has met our needs many times and sustained us through those tough days of little income and lots of bills. Perserving through and focusing on what is really of value has brought us to a really good place in life.
DeleteI have struggled in the past and it was hard but now I feel like I have enough and I am truly thankful and feel blessed. Thank you for attending the #WednesdayAIMLinkParty. I shared your post.
ReplyDeleteWe've had more than our fair share of struggles in the past too Dee - I guess that's why things seem so good now - we finally have a good balance and we've learned what is really important in life.
DeleteSometimes Leanne I think all of these words can become a cliche or the 'lastest buzz word'. However, I do agree that abundance is not a material thing as I wrote in my post this week about the taxi driver we had in Vila. He was so happy and yet had nothing (materially speaking) compared to us. It certainly made me reflect on all the good in my life. Thanks again for another uplifting post.
ReplyDeleteYour post on your taxi driver tied in really well with this one Sue - that moment when you see someone with so little who is still content and not driven by material possessions and keeping up with the Joneses.
DeleteGreat post Leanne and I agree with you about the real meaning of abundance. On a slightly different tack; a friend once told us he felt rich when he could be generous with his friends. He didn't have much money but he was generous and we love that attitude.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of giving from the abundance you've been blessed with - I just haven't seen it in action much. We don't have a lot to give from, but I still like to give my time and donate some money here and there too - every little bit helps doesn't it?
DeleteI'm not sure that we know when to say "enough" - and abundance to me is always more than adequate sufficiency. I feel we have less now than we had (both things and income), but boy oh boy do we have so much more! #TeamLovinLife
ReplyDeleteWe're the same Jo - we've come to appreciate that we have more than enough and we're starting to relax and not be striving for the next dollar or the next experience.
DeleteYes, I can definitely say I'm abundantly blessed - but like you I think it has a lot to do with your outlook on life!
ReplyDeleteExactly Janet - when you stop and look at all that you have and the people and relationships in your life, if you've invested in the right things/people then you can see you are truly blessed.
DeleteI think we definitely take SO much for granted. There are people in other parts of the world who don't have what any of us have. Just a roof over our heads, clothes on our bodies, and food on the table every day is a blessing. We need to all take time to appreciate that every day.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right Stephanie - in the First World our least is still far more than what those in the Third World consider abundance! We need to stop and count our blessings more and also learn to share some of our abundance with those less fortunate.
DeleteWhen we are grateful & contented, we feel blessed as we have more than enough - that's abundance for me!
ReplyDeleteIt is the essence of abundance isn't it Anita? To know that you have been given so much and to be thankful for it instead of always grasping for more.
DeleteLeanne, this is such a beautiful post! I even remembered to Pin it! Your blog is always such a refreshing break for me.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Jean - I really appreciate your lovely words - AND the fact that you pinned my post too xx
DeleteI think you are very right. Abundance is about appreciation - being thankful for what we have. I don't think of abundance in terms of wealth in money. And as you say it's appreciation of different things bigger or smaller, depending on your circumstances. When I was in Vanuatu recently, the people were very poor, they lived in little makeshift huts in shocking heat and humidity. Many of them were walking around with no shoes. BUT every one of them were happy and smiling. They were grateful for what they had. I often think we could learn a lot from those less fortunate them ourselves .... or perhaps they are more fortunate than us! #TeamLovinLife
ReplyDeleteSue said the same thing about the island cruise she went on - the poverty and yet the happy smiley faces everywhere - I think in the Western World we have our priorities a bit skewed and lose our sense of gratitude in the process. It's good to be reminded of how fortunate we are isn't it?
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