Rich Mullins' Life & Legacy

Today, we are going to shift our Lenten reflections toward the third aspect of traditional Lenten practices: Giving. 

Lent is a time when we have the opportunity to shift our thinking and actions in how we see the world. These shifts can have a deep and lasting impact on our spiritual life, if we are willing to embrace them beyond the 40 days of Lent.  

One of the deepest spiritual shifts we make in life is moving from a mindset of scarcity to a mindset of abundance. Scarcity tells us there is never enough—never enough time, never enough resources, never enough security. When we live from scarcity, generosity feels risky and giving feels like loss.

Yet Scripture consistently invites us into a different vision of life. God’s kingdom is marked not by fear of insufficiency but by trust in divine abundance. 

Jesus embodies this vision in the story of the feeding of the five thousand. Faced with a crowd and only a few loaves and fish, the disciples immediately see a limitation. Jesus sees the possibility. When the food is blessed and shared, there is more than enough for everyone (Matthew 14:13–21).

This story is not only about a miracle; it is about perspective. The disciples see scarcity. Jesus sees abundance because he trusts God's generosity. Lent invites us to examine which vision shapes our lives.

Scarcity often hides behind reasonable concerns. We worry about the future. We protect what we have. We measure what might be lost. 

Yet Jesus repeatedly reminds his followers that fear of lack can prevent us from experiencing the fullness of God’s provision. “Do not worry about your life,” he says, “for your heavenly Father knows what you need” (Matthew 6:25–32).

Abundance does not mean ignoring real limits or pretending resources are endless. Instead, it means trusting that generosity participates in God’s ongoing work of provision. When we give freely, we discover that life expands rather than shrinks.

The early church understood this dynamic well. Acts describes believers sharing resources so that “there was not a needy person among them” (Acts 4:34). Their generosity flowed from the conviction that everything ultimately belonged to God.

Lent invites us to loosen the grip of scarcity thinking. When we trust God’s abundance, generosity becomes less about obligation and more about participation in God’s grace. We begin to see giving not as loss but as alignment with the generous heart of God.

Abundance begins with gratitude. When we notice how much we have already received—life, relationships, grace, forgiveness—our hearts become more open. Gratitude transforms generosity from duty into joy.

In this season, ask yourself what it would mean to trust God’s abundance a little more deeply. Where scarcity whispers fear, listen instead for the quiet promise that God’s provision is always greater than our anxiety.

Generosity begins when we trust that God’s abundance is real.

Prayer
Generous God, free us from fear of scarcity. Help us trust your abundance and live with open hands and grateful hearts. Amen.

Reflection Questions

1. Where do you most often experience scarcity thinking?

2. How has God provided for you in unexpected ways?

3. What step of generosity might abundance invite you to take?