I think we can all agree that abundance is highly sought after as a “good fruit.” I chose it as my word for 2017, and with good reasons! Abundance is that warm feeling that comes from the thought of having plentiful resources and endless good in our lives, everything we need. We might envision it as a table spread heavily with delicious food, or a vault full of cash or gold, but abundance comes in many shapes and forms. Sometimes it’s right in front of us, and we fail to see it.

What if I told you that what you might currently see as an annoyance is actually abundance in disguise?

What if the overflowing fullness in different areas of your life was being distorted and viewed as vexation and irritation, solely due to the sentences in your mind?

Stay with me here…

When I look around at what could be labeled as “day to day irritations” in my own life, I can almost always find a connection to abundance.

Here are just a few examples to explain exactly what I mean.

Abundance is six loads of laundry, rolling hills of multicolored textures and patterns. Stacked heaps awaiting sorting in a cluttered washroom.

Abundance is a sink spilling over with crusted bowls of flakes and O’s. Spilled milk and leftovers thrown at the feet of chickens.

Abundance is bell peppers freckled with mold, forgotten too long on the bottom shelf. A half tub of expired yogurt and black peel bananas soft to the touch, now resting in a garbage bin.

Abundance is a chorus of squeals coming from children’s rooms after lights are out.  Visions of pajama’d children in dark halls, attempting multiple escapes to retrieve a drink or a book before giving in to their beds for the night.

Abundance is ten or twenty extra pounds, round and soft around the waist or padding evenly across the thighs. Adjusting a belt or changing into a stretchier fabric to accommodate.

Abundance is stain speckled carpets holding up withered furniture. A gallery of anonymous artwork across family room walls, food crusted windows and sticky door handles.

Abundance is bags of worn clothing and reject toys.  Shoes that cradled feet only once now bagged, tied up, and dropped off at a thrift store.

Abundance is having someone to serve meals to three times a day, someone to pick up and drop-off, someone to work to support, and someone to teach.

Abundance is having a bald-and-hungry alarm clock, followed by a had-a-nightmare alarm clock, and lastly an early-bird-I’m-ready-for-school-can-I-watch-the-iPad alarm clock.

Abundance is a second four-wheeled machine covered in chipping red paint and ten years of dents and dings. A car sporting a broken trunk and taillight, that despite all of its imperfections delivers you to your choice of destination, every. single.day.

Abundance is another book of scripture to read, another conference, another Gospel truth to adopt, another lesson to heed, another prompting to put to action, another class of children to teach, another sin to repent for.

Abundance is Thanksgiving dinner round one on Thursday, followed by rounds two and three on Friday.

In any of these sentences, you could easily substitute “abundance” for “annoyance,” and everyone would probably still nod their head in agreeance. You ultimately get to decide. Which do you choose?