Lack Is an Illusion!

Recently I was asked to speak and share my story at our women’s prayer. The theme given to me was “Sharing Love Through the Lack.” As I began to pray and think about the assignment and how it connected to my life, I kept pulling toward the word “lack.” I looked the word up in the dictionary to see how it was defined. One of the definitions that stood out to me was “deficiency or absence of something needed, desirable, or customary.” As I was preparing, the thoughts of all the ways I have and feel lack in my life flooded my mind. Memories of how I did not feel protected, cared for, nurtured, or prioritized as a little girl. Then the thoughts shifted to how I had some of the same feelings throughout my marriage and other relationships.

There were times I felt under loved, not valued, and an afterthought. I desired affection and intimacy at the heart level. No matter what I would do or say, the message of what I needed and wanted seemed not to compute with the person I was relaying it to. Which, in turn, would further solidify my feelings of lack. But leave it to the Holy Spirit to come along and interrupt my regularly scheduled thinking. As I prayed and searched inwardly for what the Lord was showing me about loving through lack, it was made clear that lack was an illusion. At least for those who name Jesus as their Lord and Savior. If I say I am a child of God, which I do, and my life is surrendered to Him, I cannot indeed have lacked. Since one of the names of the God I serve is “I Am,” I cannot indeed have lacked. “I Am” encompasses everything I had needed and will ever need! I am not saying that the lack I felt and desired from the people in my life was not real. I am not saying that I did not feel the voids of my needs not being met. I am not saying that the hurt, anger, disappointment, and emptiness I felt were not real feelings. What I am saying is even in all that, the actual reality is I never lacked anything. My God has and continues to provide for me and ongoingly fills my voids. In my youth and immaturity, I was not aware of His presence. When I felt depleted from sharing love with no reciprocation, He was always there filling me up. When I felt abandoned or I was an afterthought, He reassured me that I am and always have been a priority in His heart. He has given me everything I need to live this life on purpose. The difference now is when I start to have those feelings of lack; because I do, I remember that lack is an illusion. Because my God supplies all my needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus! (Philippians 4:19)