Encouragement for Today

April 8, 2025 I Have More Than Enough SHIRLEE ABBOTT Lee en español

“The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” Psalm 23:1 (NIV)

When my sons were little boys, they eagerly collected Star Wars action figures. The back of each package displayed a tiny picture of every available figure. Even before they freed the new character from its cardboard wrapper, they studied the back.

“I don’t have this one or this one or this one …” They focused on what they lacked.

One day, I’d had enough. “No more action figures — no more spaceships! Make do with what you have.”

All too often, I’m like those little boys. I focus on what I don’t have: the latest fashion, a bigger salary, more social media followers. Like my children, I fail to notice my many blessings: comfortable clothes, means of supporting my family, my real-world friends.

I wonder — what does God think when I focus more on what I don’t have than on what I do have? What would it be like to make do with what I have?

Much to my surprise, the edict I issued to my sons opened a door to creativity. Over the next months, our boys constructed a room-size space station out of shoeboxes, paper towel tubes, and “treasures” given to them or picked out of the trash. Their action figures lived in a labyrinth of interconnected rooms. There was a cafeteria with tables and stools made from empty spools found in my sewing box. Cardboard walls and floors were covered in white tiles leftover from a neighbor’s bathroom renovation.

What they had were assorted pieces of junk and their God-given imaginations. It was more than enough. This reminds me of our key verse, Psalm 23:1: “The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”

I, too, have more than enough to accomplish God’s purpose for my life. But when I focus on what I don’t have, I’m stuck — thinking I need one more skill, one more opportunity, one more missing link to succeed.

With their eyes focused on plastic creatures created from someone else’s imagination, my children didn’t see the value in empty shoeboxes and cardboard tubes. Likewise, when I focus on someone else’s success, I don’t see the value in the resources and skills God has given me.

If I open my eyes, I discover my own boxes of opportunity: a talent to start using, a friend to encourage, a new way to serve. Like empty spools, old skills can be used in new ways. I can pick up the leftovers of a previous project and turn them into something very different.

Take this devotion, for example. It started with an old memory, which morphed into a casual comment, which reminded me of a Bible verse I memorized as a child. With writing skills God has allowed me to hone over the years, I had everything I needed to string together these words.

God has already provided what we need to do His will at this moment in time. We lack nothing.

Thank You, Lord God, for the skills and resources You’ve given me. I have everything I need! Open my eyes to the opportunities You’ve set before me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

OUR FAVORITE THINGS

“Vulnerability” is one of those words that we would all probably define a little differently. Maybe you’ve wondered: Is there a difference between being vulnerable and being authentic? Is there a way to overcome the fear of or resistance to sharing with others? In a new episode of The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast, Dr. Joel Muddamalle uncovers scriptural answers for these questions, helping us know how to embrace vulnerability as followers of Christ. Don’t miss this powerful conversation — start watching on YouTube!

ENGAGE

For constructive thoughts and morning prayers built with simple words and short sentences, visit Shirlee’s Souls Under Construction website or follow her on Facebook.

FOR DEEPER STUDY

Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (NIV).

Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (NIV).

How would your attitude and actions change if you focused on what you have rather than on what you lack? In the comments, finish this sentence: “I have everything I need to [fill in the blank].”

© 2025 by Shirlee Abbott. All rights reserved.