Living off the top is so much more fun than living off the bottom. And I’m not even talking about financially. I’m talking about an abundance mentality like John 10:10 speaks of that Jesus came to give us. I’m talking about an abundance way of thinking when it comes to forgiveness, time, energy, health, and the way we enter rooms. The way we respond to rejection, abandonment, and criticism. The way we shake things off that otherwise leave others crippled emotioinally yet only if we could just choose to enjoy life and walk with a pep in our step ANYWAY! If you are in a health crisis, have an abundance of healing mindset even in the face of the pain. Ask yourself what would a well person do and do that. Faith without works is dead. Does’t that sound like more fun? Don’t you wanta live off the top?!

If we have a scarcity mindset, we will go into extreme boundaries like secularism has taught us to do. We will live out of a place of fear, cutting people out, protecting ourselves, being rude in the way we speak to each other. We will judge and be judged. We will become anxious and depressed like the rest of the world is becoming at epidemic proportions. We will create drama and rip apart relationships that matter the most to us. Not even knowing what we are doing and certainly not meaning to.

Reminds me of the crux of the gospel where Jesus modeled living off the top even as He hung on the cross and said, “Forgive them, Lord, for they know not what they do.” Am I the only one with my hand raised reading this even as I type it, thinking, how each word of this blog applies to me. And in the same thought comes gratitude for my Saviour who forgives me when I don’t deserve it and even before I ever was born and sinned for the first time, He forgave me and you. He knew we would not even know what we are doing when we hurt each other often times.

There are exceptions where people do mean things on purpose and hate crimes are committed but I’m just talking about relational messiness we ALL experience. The stuff that irritates many, separates scores of families, and has devestated a majority of a generation. It doesn’t have to be this way. The solution is living off the top when it comes to love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and gentleness, and faithfulness, and goodness, and self control.

I say it all the time and it’s actually a quote from a living legend I esteem highly who said’ “There is NO situation in life that at least one of the fruit of the spirit won’t come to your aid and help you overcome.” So whatever mess you find yourself in whether it is financial or relational or health or ANYTHING, pick a fruit and yield to it and watch God work out your situation that you have tried an tried to work out but in doing so, it’s like trying to put an eggshell back together and it’s impossible. Maybe you, like me more times than I wish, have made it worse.

Well, thank God, He specializes in the impossible. You are not THAT powerful, that you’ve messed things up so much that His grace my Bible says is sufficient can’t somehow help restore things spirit, soul, and body. Let’s make a fresh commitment to seek first His way of doing things (that’s our part) and trust Him to add all these things whether it’s people or character or health or joy or stuff or whatever it is you need to you (that’s His part).

This was inspired by this past Sunday’s message preached by a guest speaker, our dear friend, Pastor Buck Schafer, at our church. Go check it out at harvestmobile.com Only God could’ve had him speak such an exact word our church needed and even I personally needed. And there was no way he had any idea just how much I needed it. He spoke about how too many Christians operate out of this lack mindset because we have an orphan spirit yet God is a Father to the fatherless and is always there. I’m just blown away by the love of God. He knows what we need exactly when we need it. Don’t be the victim and neither will I no matter the situation we find ourselves in.

Deal, pickle? See, even in dealing with a serious topic, find a way to laugh and be light and shake it off. Our shoulders can’t bear all the junk we are all up against. This is not about any one situation just as none of my writings are. It’s about each and every single person who reads this because every one of us have or had or will have things like this we face in some area of life. And it’s all just meant to slow us down, get us off track, and sideswipe us off of our purposes. Don’t allow it. We may be persecuted, struck down, abandoned, and left for dead figuratively, relationally, financially, or physically. But in the end, we win! and even in the middle, we are winning even if it doesn’t look like it because we live by faith and there is joy in the calling and satisfaction in fulfilling it. When you’ve done all to stand, keep standing. And if you have a Happy Monday blog that keeps going out on Tuesday lol or not at all, get back up, dust yourself off and rejoice that you didn’t force something you didn’t have to give and you gave what you could when you could and move on choosing to live off the top today! And know this, you’re not alone. I get you!

XO,

Adrienne