Can Abundance Crowd Out Gratitude?

Abundance is a tricky thing. It seems the more you have, the more you want.

Take restaurants, for example. My favorite restaurant when I was a little girl was Burger King. We didn’t eat out much in the 80s, but when we did, it was two-for-one Whoppers on payday. When I moved to the city to go to college, I discovered a great little Greek restaurant, a swanky Thai place, and The Cheesecake Factory, where one slice of creamy decadence costs more than getting a #1 my way.

The more vacation you get, the more you want. The county fair was a thrill. Until that first time I went to Six Flags over Georgia where The Great American Scream Machine put the Himalaya to shame. Now that we have touched the Georgia sky, the county fair has become a small world.

Our first “house” was a one-bedroom, third floor apartment on the mostly good side of town. I was a thrilled young bride, proud to fill all four of the cabinets in our kitchen. We worked our way up in number of bedrooms and number of square feet until we finally built our dream house. And still, we found ourselves looking around at bigger houses, dreaming of more.

At what point does abundance crowd out gratitude?

And [Jesus] sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41-44 ESV)

What this poor widow lacked in abundance, she had in gratitude. She was so grateful for the little she owned that she returned it all to God. The rich men gave far more, but did so without gratitude.

The widow’s everything was next to nothing. And yet, she knew that all she had was from God, her Protector and Provider. And because of this, this woman with very little looked at absolutely everything she had—her poverty—as abundance.¹

A trip to Ghana shifted my view of abundance. I was most grateful the day I saw three children digging through a pile of trash on the side of a Ghanaian roadway. They were likely foraging for their dinner while I had peanut butter and clean water in my backpack. My children were home in the U.S. eating spaghetti from clean bowls in that dream house of ours.

In that moment, gratitude crowded out my abundance.

Like the widow before the offering box in the temple, I stood ready to give everything, indebted to God for His rich grace.

Fast-forward several years, and I am saddened by the fact that abundance has taken the place of gratitude once again. It happened slowly, one purchase, one wish list, one glance across a neighbor’s fence at a time. Here I sit, thinking of all that I have and yet how utterly ungrateful I am.

The challenge is to maintain a thankful heart, not just in November, but all year long. To take note of the small things with as much thanksgiving as I do the big things. To shift my gaze away from social media and sale papers and, instead, look heavenward to the Giver of all good gifts.

Lord, today, I am thankful for the sleepy grin on my baby’s face. I am thankful for a cup of cool, clean water. I am thankful for the shoes on my feet; thankful I can walk on those two feet. I am thankful for the thin pages of your Word and the freedom to turn them as often as I want. I am grateful for the abundance of your grace resting on me, even as I wrestle with my ingratitude. Amen.

Scripture for Reflection

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Cor. 9:8 NIV)

“The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.” (Deut. 29:12 NIV)

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19 NIV)

Reach for More

Has your gratitude been crowded out by your abundance? What small things are you thankful for today?

¹Myers, Raechel. “The Poor Widow.” She Reads Truth, 15 Jul 2015. www.shereadstruth.com.

Kelly Smith is a small town girl who married a small town man. They have three children. In the quiet minutes of her day, you will find her at the keyboard or curled up with a book–always with coffee. Kelly believes we are created for community and loves to find ways to connect with other women who are walking in the shadow of the cross. She blogs at mrsdisciple.com.

Photograph used with permission from, and copyright of, Kelly Smith.