The Lack of Lack

How often do you take the time to listen closely and deeply in conversations? One of the things I love to do is listen behind and between the words and sentences and attempt to discern what underlying beliefs and assumptions are being relayed.
Most of us have a lot of opinions but are blissfully unaware of the assumptions that are the basis for these opinions. It is amazing that for most people there is a general orientation in their lives and the world that assumes lack as a starting point in the world. Admittedly most of the messages we receive from the media focus on the lack of resources, the lack of opportunities, and, of course, the lack of money. However it is a profound theological statement to begin every thought with the precondition that human beings function in the world from a starting point of deficiency or lack.

Given that we have been created in the image and likeness of God, and that we assume that God put us here and is watching out for us, it is interesting that we still see ourselves as beginning from a position of insufficiency.

The funny thing about lack is that it most definitely exists only in the eyes of the beholder. Have you noticed that a billionaire’s experience of limitation is quite a bit different than yours? When I travel to developing countries, I am consistently amazed that I rarely come across locals who give the blow by blow details about the insufficient resources in their lives. Instead it typically is the Westerner who is doing missionary or non-profit work in the region who tells the sad story. My experience is that the people in these communities actually just are. They do what they have to do, to live the life that they live day-by-day. It is interesting that when it takes all of your energy to take care of your family, there is little time to belabor the lack in your life. It sometimes seems that that luxury is primarily for those who have their basic needs met.

I have found that in my life whenever I am in a space in which I am experiencing lack (which is primarily my orientation to my situation, not the actual amount of money or other resources at my disposal), it is always an opportunity for me to take a step back and assess my situation. Inevitably if I can begin with focusing on what I actually have in my life and at my disposal, I discover gifts and resources that I can immediately bring to bear to the challenge I am facing. It is also always an opportunity for me to reassess what things in my life I truly need and what things are wants or niceties but superfluous.

What do we really need? It is a key question. To answer this question we must have a mission and a vision for our lives and work. And while the question and answer are focused, in truth, they are not confining or limiting. When we focus it allows us to draw on Divine resources that are waiting for our cooperation. Much of our experience of lack is a tied directly to our steeping and stewing in our wants rather than our needs.

When we approach life from the standpoint of listening for Divine guidance for the next step, the floodgates are opened and we are inspired and supported in our work. The spiritual truth is that the Divine always places exactly what we need at our disposal at any and every moment in time. There is no lack in the world only our unwillingness or inability to perceive the Divinely ordained opportunities in front of us.

And so it is! Amen!