The 1st Lent Sunday: Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16; Luke 4:1-13
Key Verse: “When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.” (Luke 4:13)
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Hello, This is Jade.
Welcome to Yi.kigai
A space for all to explore the intersection between faith and daily life
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Lenten Blessings. Welcome to the 1st Sunday in Lent.
“We are so poor!” That was the belief I had in our first three years of marriage. I said it so often to the point that my husband decided to have a conversation with me about my definition of ‘being poor’ and ‘being rich.’
Scarcity was all I could think of at the time. From being an international student to a wife of a seminarian, then a Pastor’s wife in a foreign land, I was convinced that I wasn’t enough, didn’t do enough, and didn’t have enough to be the person that I expected or envisioned myself to be. I thought that everything could have been much easier and more convenient If I had more savings or had a paid job, and if I could speak both English and Spanish fluently to make myself more useful. I was trapped by my own definition of ‘being successful’ and felt very disappointed in myself. For me, being rich was about being successful. Both were the rewards of working hard which I didn’t see happening in my life at the age of 27. That’s how I would have told my story of scarcity 25 years ago. Let me retell my story again in 2022.
We got married while both of us were students. We had two beautiful wedding celebrations, one at the seminary surrounded by the staff, the professors, and students in Austin, Texas, and another one in my husband’s hometown surrounded by his friends and families in Guadalajara, Mexico. My husband was in his last year of seminary with a full scholarship that covered all our living expenses including health insurance and monthly allowance. I was taking some college courses and had some savings. When we had our daughter, we were eligible for the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program as a low-income family while my husband completed his internship. We lived in the parsonage and were cared for by church members who occasionally shared their favorite foods and delicious desserts with us and gifted us many newborn essentials and products. Then we moved to Celaya, Mexico. Though we were a missionary family with a minimum stipend and some savings, we had a roof over our head and food on our table. The best part was that we could stay together as a family most of the time. Can you tell how much I have grown from a mindset of scarcity to a mindset of abundance?
How did Jesus tell his disciples about his 40 days in the wilderness while being tempted by the devil? Is it a story of scarcity or a story of abundance? It didn’t matter how tempting the devil’s offer sounded; Jesus didn’t waver. He never doubted God’s love and promises at all. He reclaimed who He was as the Son of God in each temptation and made sure that the devil got the message. He honored and worshiped God solely and was very assertive with His belief and left no space for the devil to enter. The devil had to retreat and wait for another opportune time.
Whenever we are obsessed with a lack of something, whether that’s money, power, status, relationship, knowledge, or any material possessions, we are either denying or unable to see what God has blessed us with. Having our basic needs met never seems to be good enough in such a competitive living society where having more is always better and where accumulating or hoarding has become not so much survival skills but instead winning skills.
If you have the feeling of scarcity, talk to someone and ask for support if it’s needed and helpful. It is my prayer that you may find what God has blessed you with. No one gets to define how much you need to be, to have, or to do in order to be accepted, loved, and belong. Remember that God said from the very beginning that Jesus was His beloved Son. God didn’t wait until Jesus completed His mission on the cross to say it, right? Jesus’ story is one of abundance and so are ours. I have discovered my story of abundance, and pray that you have discovered yours, too.
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May your coming week be blessed by God’s grace
As together we explore the intersection between faith and daily life
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