As fearful people we are inclined to develop a mind-set that makes us say: "There's not enough food for everyone, so I better be sure I save enough for myself in case of emergency," or "There's not enough knowledge for everyone to enjoy; so I'd better keep my knowledge to myself, so no one else will use it" or "There's not enough love to give to everybody, so I'd better keep my friends for myself to prevent others from taking them away from me."
This is a scarcity mentality. It involves hoarding whatever we have, fearful that we won't have enough to survive. The tragedy, however, is that what you cling to ends up rotting in your hands.
"Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owners except to feast their eyes on them? The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich permits them no sleep. I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when there are children there is nothing left for them. Naked they come from their mother's womb, and as they come, they depart; they take nothing from their labor that they can carry in their hands." - Ecclesiastes 5: 10-15 (NIV)
This post was written by Henri Nouwen. You can find his site here: www.henrinouwen.org
This is a scarcity mentality. It involves hoarding whatever we have, fearful that we won't have enough to survive. The tragedy, however, is that what you cling to ends up rotting in your hands.
"Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owners except to feast their eyes on them? The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich permits them no sleep. I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when there are children there is nothing left for them. Naked they come from their mother's womb, and as they come, they depart; they take nothing from their labor that they can carry in their hands." - Ecclesiastes 5: 10-15 (NIV)
This post was written by Henri Nouwen. You can find his site here: www.henrinouwen.org
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