By Noelle Gaffka, mission development minister
But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
I stood in a line of sweaty grade-school kids, waiting to see if my name would be called. One by one, classmates selected kids from the line and placed them on one of two teams. Looking left and right, I watched as the line shrank, leaving only a few of us waiting to be chosen. I hated this part of gym class. I was always one of the last kids picked. It was humiliating, but it also became an early lesson in an “us versus them” culture where belonging is determined by who is chosen and who is left behind.
As I grew older, I began to recognize another dynamic: “me versus we.” Both are learned ways of being that create divisions and determine who has access to emotional, spiritual, and tangible resources. They encourage us to look inward and ask, “How might this benefit me?” When we live primarily from that question, abundance becomes something to possess rather than something to share. But learned behaviors can also be unlearned.
Choosing abundance invites us to look outward. It challenges us to move from “me” to “we” and to ask a different question: “How might this benefit all of us?” This shift changes how we understand what we have. Our resources are not simply things we hold for ourselves. They become opportunities to strengthen community and participate in God’s mission. Abundance is not measured by how much one person can accumulate, but by how communities flourish when what we have is shared.
When we move from “me” to “we,” we begin to notice who is standing at the edges of the line. We make room. We share what we have. We recognize the gifts of those who might otherwise be overlooked. We create communities where belonging is not something people have to earn by being chosen first. Choosing abundance calls us to become a people who choose one another. It reminds us that true abundance is created when we share resources, support one another, and ensure that no one is left out or left behind.
Prayer Phrase
“I am about to do a new thing” (Isaiah 43:18).
Embrace Abundance
Take a slow breath and open your hands. Consider one thing you have received—love, grace, time, resources, or opportunity. Now ask: “What has been given to me that I can share with someone else?” Hold that thought for a moment. As you breathe in, say: “I receive with gratitude.” As you breathe out: “I give faithfully with generosity.” Pray: “May I trust there is enough when I choose to share what I have for the welfare of all.”
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.