Scarcity Mindset: The Consumer's Poverty
When you hear the word greed, what's the first thing that comes to mind?
the wealthy?
corporations?
government officials?
capitalism?
These four will be top of mind for many. But let's slow down: the word greed describes a state of mind. It's not about how much money or stuff you have; it is about your relationship with money and stuff.
And so to be fair, we must admit that it is entirely possible to be both poor and greedy at the same time. In reality, I believe this is the case far more often than we might like to think.
"Whoever loves pleasure will be poor; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich." - Proverbs 21:17
Let's be honest: we've all been guilty of over-consumption. As a society we often:
eat and drink too much
spend too much money on things we don't need
waste too much time on mindless entertainment
This costs us dearly in terms of our health, our wealth, and our relationships. Then we complain about how hard it is to get ahead. If we'd be honest with ourselves and do a little math, we'd quickly find the cost of our habits to be far more than expected.
The Scarcity Mindset and Over-Consumption
Greed is a form of scarcity thinking - grasping too much for fear of not having enough. Over-consumption, as a form of greed, comes from the same place.
The consumer is poor because he believes in scarcity: He lives for the present because he has no faith for the future: he's always ready to spend and eat tomorrow today! And then tomorrow arrives, already spent, in confirmation of his negative expectations.
The consumer is short-sighted and can’t see opportunity. He doesn’t know how to invest in others or even in himself. He is like a farmer who won’t plant his seed-corn in spring because he might need to eat it before harvest!
But scarcity thinking is rooted in fear. And because fear seeks comfort in momentary pleasure, whatever is held back from productive use only goes to waste on self-indulgence.
But a faithful man has an attitude of abundance. He has no need to stuff himself now because he knows there will be more when he needs it. He sees opportunity. He limits his spending to invest in a better tomorrow. And just in proportion, his tomorrow is better as a result.
This is the key to lasting wealth. It is also the antidote to greed: whoever has this mindset is ready to give because he lives by faith.
“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” - Luke 6:38
