Wait... What… Abundance?

The thief comes only to kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

John 10:10

Do you ever wonder why Christian’s aren’t living in the abundance that God promises in John 10:10 “The thief comes only to kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly”? Do we even know what abundance here on earth really means?

The world tells us to look cute, keep a Joanna Gaines house, host Pinterest birthday parties for our kids, go on fabulous trips during every school break, make sure our kids get straight A’s etc. etc. etc. If I could do all that (which I couldn’t and definitely didn’t even try) I don’t think that is the abundant life Jesus is talking about.

After raising 2 kids, a girl and a boy who are now out living on their own and being widowed in 2019 after 32 years of marriage, I believe the abundance Jesus is calling us to is to know Him so we can love Him, then we will follow Him.

After I was widowed, I got a dog that was a year old. Her name is Roxie. When I first got her, she didn’t listen to me AT ALL. Life with her was miserable for a while. She didn’t know me so she wouldn’t follow my commands. As Roxie got to know me, she started to love me. As she started to love me, she began to follow me wherever I went in the house. Where I went Roxie went. Then she began to listen and heed my commands. The more she did that the more freedom she got from me. My relationship with her brings me so much joy now.

As a mom, the best thing I did for my kids was to read and study God’s word. This allowed me to know God, and in turn get to know myself. The more I read the more I could discern His voice in my life and that allowed me to ask for wisdom in my parenting. The more I heard His voice, the more I loved Him, which led me to want to follow and obey. (Obedience is hard for me in most circumstances, just not MOST of the time with God. But I digress. That’s another whole blog post.) Me knowing, loving, and following God is allowing me to live in the abundance here on earth.

What does abundance look like for me?

· A great relationship with both my kids and my daughter-in-law

· A strong community of women that hold me accountable to walking out God’s word

· A church where I hear the word preached and where I can use my spiritual gifts to serve people

· A family who I can count on in my darkest days

· A joy in the midst of my pain

None of that would be possible without me making purposeful time when my kids were young to know God through His word. It’s never too late to make that choice. The abundance is waiting for you!

~Kim Michell

#abundanceonearth #Godswordchangeseverything #widowlife #momsofallages #roxierocks