Do I Have a Shortage or a Surplus Mindset?

In review of Psalm 23:5-6 it says, “My cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life” (NIV).

Psalm 23:5-6

You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

God offers his protection even as enemies surround us. Those who are believers will dwell with him forever. He promises to guide and protect us throughout our lives and will welcome us as guests in his house forever.

Is my life overflowing? Like most people, my life may be overflowing, but not with goodness. I have overbooked my calendar, overspent my money, overloaded my emotions, overworked my body, overcrowded my days, and overvalued the approval of others. As a result, I’ve wound up overstressed, overanxious, and overwhelmed, and I’m over it! As a result I’m far from experiencing the goodness of God.

Why do I let myself get overextended? Often the fear of missing out motivates me to do more. But the truth is I’m not missing out on anything when I rest in the goodness and provision of God.

God wants to move me from being overwhelmed to overflowing. He wants to meet all my needs, and he can! First, I need to recognize two fundamentally different approaches to life that either keep me from or bring me into God’s abundance. I can approach life with a shortage mindset or a surplus mindset.

With a shortage mindset, I constantly think, “I don’t have enough time. I don’t have enough money. I don’t have enough energy. I don’t have enough contacts, opportunities, knowledge, education, or whatever.” It’s the sense that I’m always a day late and a dollar short. A shortage mindset focuses on my limited resources, and the result is an overwhelmed life.

A surplus mindset focuses on God’s limitless resources, and the result is an overflowing life.

Think of God’s provision like this: God doesn’t give me one pie. He’s a pie factory! He’ll never run out. The Bible includes words like abundance, plentiful, abounding, and bountiful to describe what God has to offer me. God has more than enough to meet all my needs and everybody else’s needs at the same time.

Jesus said, “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of” (John 10:10 The Message).

I don’t have to worry about running short of anything, because God is the source of my life. He can turn on one faucet and turn off another. I can lose one job, and he can provide another. He wants to fill me beyond capacity with an endless supply of his goodness, joy, blessing, hope, and peace.

Bottom Line:

God provides for us when the odds are against us. He fills us with his blessing. He promises goodness and his unfailing love as we follow him.

What this means to me:

God provides for me even in when people and things are against me. He anoints me and fills me full of blessings. Because I follow him, his goodness and unfailing will be part of my life here and in eternity.

In summary, my life overflows with his blessings. His goodness and unfailing love even pursues me. After all, I will get to live in his house forever. He promises to guide and protect me. Currently my life may be overflowing, but with the wrong stuff, its an overbooked calendar, emotions, body, and overvalued approval of others. This bring only stress anxiousness and feelings of being overwhelmed. God wants me to move from being overwhelmed to overflowing. In this life I can approach it with a shortage or surplus mindset. In a shortage mindset, I'm constantly thinking I don't have enough . A shortage mindset focuses on my limited resources, which results in an overwhelmed life. A surplus mindset focuses on God's limitless resources which result in an overflowing life. God wants to fill my beyond capacity with an endless supply of his goodness, joy, blessing, hope and peace.

Father thank you for the reminder of how my mindset and outlook on life is holding me back from truly enjoying your overflowing blessings. Today I pray that I can keep this in mind as I approach my days. I also ask for your wisdom and guidance in handling my work tasks, in leading my team, and in my interactions with others. These things I ask and pray in your Son Jesus name, amen!