The Economies of Scarcity and Abundance: Stress vs. Joy

Two economies operate in the universe: the economy of scarcity, which dominates the world, and the economy of abundance, which dominates heaven.

In the economy of scarcity, there is never enough. We never have enough time, enough money, enough energy, enough resources to do all the good we would like to do. I would like to sign up for every welfare assignment, attend the temple every week, index thousands of names on FamilySearch, research all of my ancestral lines back to Adam, read all the Standard Works of Scripture every year, memorize the Proclamation on the Family and the Testimony of the Living Apostles, visit my home teaching families every time I think about them instead of just once a month, give all my money to the poor, post wonderfully inspiring blog posts every day, take my wife on a date every week, and see my out-of-state grandchildren every couple of months. In the economy of scarcity I know I cannot do every good thing, and so I must prioritize, plan, organize, scrimp and save, and make decisions about what does and doesn't get done and about who I can and cannot help.

I am not left without guidelines, however, about how to prioritize. The prophet Jacob taught the people of Nephi: "Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness" (2 Nephi 9:51). In the mortal economy of finiteness and scarcity, we must rely on the words of Christ and the Holy Ghost, which "will show [us] all things what [we] should do" (2 Nephi 32:3, 5).

In the celestial economy of abundance, on the other hand, God has an abundance and to spare of all good things. He does not have to scrimp and save to provide blessings. His grace and generosity are not capped by a balance book of debits and credits. He can offer all He has to every one of His children, and yet there is no diminishing of what He can give to any one of them. Thus He can delight to bless His children without the offsetting fear that He will run out of good gifts.

For example, the Lord said to Joseph Smith:  "For thus saith the Lord—I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end" (D&C 76:4).

God does not stress about the economy. He gives joyfully. The sun shines every day, the earth turns, clouds bring rain, breezes refresh, plants grow, flowers bloom, birds sing, babies are born, couples fall in love, beautiful music is composed, lovely poems are written, our bodies heal and repair themselves, and people overcome tremendous odds. God just gives and gives. God is many things, but first and foremost He is, at His very core, gracious and generous, which equates to saying that "God is love" (1 John 4:8).

God's gifts are endless. His grace is sufficient (Ether 12:26-27). My goal is to stop asking for more (the economy of scarcity) and to recognize more fully the multitude of blessings God showers on me continually (the economy of abundance).