There are two ways to live: from scarcity or from abundance. Living from abundance has little to do with wealth, large homes, or possessions. It is measured by the openness of the heart.
Living from scarcity is a subtle, inward posture. It is the habit of being miserly in giving or receiving love. Scarcity whispers, “Protect yourself. Don’t give too much. Don’t receive too much.” Out of fear—fear of being hurt, fear of losing love, fear of being overwhelmed—we close the doors of the heart. Sometimes love is allowed to slip in only through small windows, as if this will keep us safe. Yet this shrinking does not protect us; it keeps us in chronic fear, an emotional drought that slowly shapes our whole being.
Living from abundance is a spiritual perspective. It is the willingness to see our lives, others, and God’s world as overflowing with the capacity to give and receive love. Those who live from abundance choose openness. They allow love to pour out freely and welcome its inflow graciously. They gently remove the inner barriers—old wounds, limiting beliefs, rigid defenses—that restrict love’s movement within them.
Fear can arise when we open our hearts. But Scripture reminds us: “Perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). Abundance is not the absence of fear; it is the choice to let love have the final word. Every time we choose love, we move from fear to trust, from scarcity to abundance. Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educator and social activist, reminds us that “Love is an act of courage, not fear.” Courage expands the heart, while fear contracts it. We need to choose love and keep choosing it every day.”
To live from abundance is a conscious, daily decision. It is choosing openness over self-protection, trust over fear, generosity over guardedness. When we let love lead, we begin to taste the quiet freedom of a life that overflows with care, connection, and wholeness.
Notes
Paulo Freire in Yellow Flag Programme (2025, December 7). Love is an act of courage – Education is freedom
