March 4, 2025 // Optional Memorial of Saint Casimir
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Mark 10:28-31
Reflect on the Word //
I was the first on both sides of the family to have children, which made it exciting for everyone. Everything my son did was new and thrilling, especially for the extended family, as he represented the start of a whole new generation. One day, when he was just a toddler, his aunt watched him share his treats with all the adoring adults. Before long, he had given them all away. Unfazed, he simply turned and moved on to play. He was willing to share something precious, giving it all away, holding nothing back for himself. His aunt marveled, saying, “He has no notion of scarcity.” I responded that he knew his needs would be met, so he didn’t feel the need to hold anything back.
Sometimes, I know that instead of giving everything away in trust, I operate with a scarcity mentality, clinging to what I can while surrendering what I must. I like to keep a few things in reserve—just in case. It’s a way of maintaining a little control: I surrender to You, Lord—oh, but not that. That I can manage. Too often, I wait until I have no other option before I finally give something over to the Lord. Scripture tells us that when we give “for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel” (Mark 10:29), it will be repaid a hundredfold. The real question that keeps me in contemplation is this—where is my heart in the surrender? Am I truly giving up, or am I offering it to the Lord for His sake and the sake of the Gospel?
When we hold back, we reveal our weakness in trust. It is trust that allows us to give completely, holding nothing back.
How much more beautiful it would be to wake each day, not knowing what it will bring, and to surrender it all in blissful ignorance, trusting in the Lord. What a gift it is to love and trust like a child, fully relying on our Father, knowing that our needs will be met.
Relate to the Lord // Where are you operating in a scarcity mindset? Ask the Lord to show you His provision.
Dr. Mary Ruth Hackett is a writer, national speaker, and podcast host covering topics in psychology and faith. She holds a PhD in Educational Psychology and works at the important intersection of faith and developmental science, blending them in the original harmony God intended. Dr. Mary Ruth is the author of Daughter by Design: Discovering Your Identity as God's Beloved Daughter, and co-coauthor of Spiritual Discernment for Beginners: Learning to Hear God and Defeat the Lies of the Enemy. She is a contributing author to All She Had and our children’s devotional prayer book called Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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