Abundance Comes From Living On Purpose

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Poverty, Like Abundance, Is A Mindset

Since poverty, like abundance, depends on your mindset, then whether you think you are poor or rich, you are right. When we compare ourselves to others, we are always superior to some and inferior to others. Wealth is no different. People consider themselves poor or rich depending on how they compare to someone else.

This morning I was listening to a chaplain at the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice talk about the high rate of recidivism among the juvenile inmates. He said the chief reason for the failure rate of these juveniles to succeed in society is poverty. Chaplain John said it's not parenting or the failure of schools and churches but simply poverty.

Another person there who ministers to the homeless in downtown Columbia, theorized that people remain homeless because of the messages they received as children. Children believe adults who tell them they will never amount to anything or that they will be alcoholics "just like your old man." By the time a person is 50, it is very difficult to change this pattern of thinking.

What about the rags to riches stories we have all heard? What makes one person look poverty in the face and determine not to stay in that situation? How can we as a society instill in the minds of everyone that we are all capable of achieving anything we desire? If one person can succeed in business or medicine or education, then anyone can, right?

As long as we think and teach others to believe that poverty is inevitable, then we will continue to see it. In a world as abundant as ours, this is hogwash. My mission, whether I'm talking to juvenile offenders or to a Sunday School class, is that God wants us to have abundance in our lives because He loves us. He created us in His image and His very nature is abundant.

Jesus said, "the poor you will always have with you." I often wondered what he meant by this. Now I believe he meant that as long as people believe they are poor and that is their lot in life, they will not take action to change that condition. They will accept it and react to it, but not creatively think of ways to change it.

The mindset of abundance begins with gratitude for what we have right now. The next step is to determine what would make your life better and set that as a goal. The third step is to look for opportunities to make that goal a reality. There are lots of legitimate opportunities for anyone who has the mindset of abundance.

Just like focusing on the glass half full, focus on the abundance in the world and you will notice a plethora of opportunities available to you today. Set an example for your children, your community and the world that abundance is the true reality. I fully believe we can eradicate poverty in our country and replace it with abundance if we focus on changing that mindset.

Sandra Hayes
Prosperity, South Carolina

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Network Marketing and Christianity - What's The Turn-Off?

Having been involved in network marketing off and on since the early 80's, I understand many of the challenges involved. In fact, I decided I was not a salesperson and totally gave up on the idea of a network marketing home based business in 1986. It seemed I couldn't quite master the art of instilling the same enthusiasm I had with others.

Then, 3 1/2 years ago, my husband Ed, a retired USAF officer who worked as a realtor after his retirement, was at his wit's end. After our move to SC, he was not happy with the real estate business and had taken a job as a retail store manager. While surfing the internet looking for something better, Ed found a website describing a home business opportunity.

We have been conducting this business ever since. This experience has given me the opportunity to examine this business model for its good points as well as its not-so-good ones. Network marketers know that only 2 - 5% of the people they talk to are willing to get started. Of that number, roughly the same percentage experience any lasting success. The question is "Why? What's the turn-off in this business?"

I got some insight into this answer in church this morning. It occurred to me that Christianity is also a network marketing business. We hear the message and either accept it and share it with others, or we turn around and run the other way. The reasons people run away from both opportunities are the same.

Most people in industrialized countries know both Christians and network marketers. Many people have actually "tried" one or both out to see if it is real. What they hear from either one may sound too good to be true. Or maybe they've read negative things about both groups, or they know people who got involved and were disappointed. Perhaps leaders misled them or didn't measure up to their expectations. Maybe they felt like they were lied to or that the representatives turned out to be hypocrites.

Regardless of the perceived experience, they developed mistrust for either Christianity or network marketing. Of course, millions of people have had wonderful, life changing experiences with Christianity. Millions have also been able to earn great incomes and help others do the same in home business ventures.

I don't seek to equate Christian faith with a business except to say that we were created as both spiritual and physical beings. We develop relationships with each other and seek to share what we learn in order to help others. My purpose in life is to open people's eyes to possibilities. I look for the positive in situations and people. As a result, I have a deep seated faith in God and believe He created us for abundance.

When I look at the world, I see abundance everywhere. When I study Scripture, I see wealthy patriarchs. In fact, when the Israelites, who had become slaves during their 400-year stay in Egypt, followed Moses into the wilderness, they received expensive gifts from the Egyptians to take with them. God did not deliver them in a state of poverty but rather in one of wealth. There is no evidence that God considers poverty to be the ideal human condition.

My question today is why does one person's enthusiastic belief in something trigger skepticism in someone else? It's sad to know that many people won't even consider something that could bring huge benefits to themselves and their families because of skepticism, which means the fear of being disappointed.

In my quest to open people's minds to life's possibilities, I seek to be a non-threatening, honest, communicator of the truth as I know it. By the grace of God and through my acceptance of Jesus Christ as His son and my savior, I have eternal life. Because I believe that wealth is also a blessing to be shared and not a curse, I choose to work a business that gives me the freedom to live the life I was created to live. What I want for myself, I want for others.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Fudgery - A Four-Year Old's Perspective on God

Like many children and adults today, our 4 ½ year-old grandson, Allen, enjoys playing with a game console called Wii. To play games on the Wii, people create a Mii, which resembles themselves or what they would like to resemble, and play games as this Mii. Their Mii scores points and achieves higher and higher levels of efficiency as the player’s skill improves.

One thing Allen has done a little differently than some of us who think more conventionally is to create Mii’s from his imagination. He designs them as male or female and then gives them shapes and features that he desires them to have. He also clothes them and names them. One such Mii is "Fudgery." Names are important!

According to our daughter, Fudgery is not very attractive to the rest of the family but Allen enjoys using her to play games. His movements cause Fudgery to hit balls, run races, exercise, bowl, etc. Recently, Allen said that he really loves Fudgery and enjoys helping her score points. He asked his mom, “Do you know why I love Fudgery so much? Because I made her! “ He pondered this thought for a minute and said, “that kind of makes me like God, doesn’t it?”

I love it. God loves us because He made us. He enjoys playing with us and helping us to improve - just because He made us. It doesn't matter how we look to others, either.

Have a blessed week as you remember how much God loves you.

Sandra Hayes