In John 10:10, Jesus provides a powerful key to creating prosperity consciousness in our lives. In the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), we find these words, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Similarly, in the New International Version (NIV), the words are, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Both translations afford us with deep, powerful insights into the benefits of leading a Christ-centered life.
To live life abundantly is to live it fully in every way, to live it from the awareness of the Christ within. Fullness of life may have different meanings for each one of us. For this reason, the path to living a life more abundantly affords each one of us unlimited opportunities to uniquely choose our own path to abundant living.
Abundant Living Is More Than Just Physical
Often, we think of abundance in the context of material things: money, cars, homes, and more. While material prosperity is one aspect of abundance, the true definition is “a very large quantity of something,” where “something” goes beyond just the accumulation of physical, material stuff. True abundance also includes deep appreciation for the experiences that give life meaning.
For example, we can accumulate a large quantity of heart-centered experiences, meaningful conversations, hugs, smiles, peaceful moments, time with those we love, or service to our precious humanity. These are also examples of abundance and living life abundantly, or to the full.
We may find ourselves caught up in the day-to-day issues of paying the bills, cleaning the house, taking the kids to school, working, and keeping our lives in order. These day-to-day activities may seem like enough to live a meaningful life. Yet, behind all that activity, we may also feel that something is missing in our lives, something that the material stuff can never satisfy.
Six Practices For Living Life Abundantly
When we consider the words of our Master Teacher, we realize that it takes courage to live our lives more abundantly. We must assume responsibility for the activity of our own thinking, the quality of our own consciousness. Not doing so creates an experience that feels empty, a life void of any real meaning.
The realization of this truth poses questions that each one of us must be willing to ask and answer for ourselves. How may I invite abundant living into my own life? How can I move consistently along the path in the direction of an abundant life? Below are six practices that may serve you in answering these questions, and creating a life more abundant.
1. Choose your thoughts mindfully. When we take responsibility for the activity of our own thinking consciousness, we begin to realize that there is more than enough for everyone, including our own selves. Our attention then moves from lack and limitation to unlimited possibility in every area of all of our lives. When we mindfully choose our thoughts, we celebrate the success of others. We revel with joy in their accomplishments, just as much as we do our own. When we center our own minds in the principles of true abundance, we realize the fullness of all that life offers to us.
2. Forgive everyone everything. Forgiveness is the best way to free ourselves of the burdens of our past. Unforgiveness keeps us small, grounded in the limitations of lack consciousness, which blocks the flow and circulation of good in our lives. Forgive everyone everything, and a life more abundant is assured.
3. Smile until you feel happy. This may sound simple, yet it is powerfully transformative to your experience, if practiced consistently. The act of smiling signals our brains to elevate our mood. Smiling opens our ability to see more clearly, to be more fully present to our lives, and to create a consciousness that expects abundant life.
4. Name and claim your day. When you name the kind of day you are going to have, the experience of it follows. We receive the experience we name, the experience we claim or affirm for ourselves. This works in both positive and negative directions. Consciously naming and claiming abundance for your day paves the way for that day to occur.
5. Enjoy the little moments. Whether it is a kind word from a stranger, a hug from a dear friend, a walk in nature or the scent of fresh mountain air, pausing to take in and savor these experiences allows us to live life more fully and abundantly. Abundance is not only about the big things. When you are genuinely committed to living a life more abundantly, your appreciation for the little joys of life deepens.
6. Practice gratitude every chance you get. No list of strategies for living a life more abundantly is complete without encouraging the practice of gratitude in every area of your life. To create an authentic experience of abundant living, you must be willing to express gratitude for everything and everyone. The energy of gratitude is infectious and attractive. Practicing gratitude further deepens your commitment to living a life more abundantly, and dynamically expands your experience of it.
Living Life Abundantly Is a Daily Practice
If practiced, these abundant life strategies will open countless doors of opportunity, and serve you well in overcoming all limited thinking. Being willing to change the lens through which you view your own life’s experience creates the opportunity for you to release any and all thoughts of limitation and lack, paving the way for you to experiencing your life more abundantly.
Consciously making the time each day to practice these strategies literally reroutes the neural network of our brain. By doing so, we create a more expanded expectation for our experience, adding immeasurable value to our lives, deepening our appreciation for everything life offers.
To me, an abundant life is one filled with the little joys of living, like enjoying the company of family and friends, and having the wisdom to cherish those moments. Doing so, allows me to more fully appreciate how such experiences contribute to living my own life more abundantly. You too may already have many wonderful ways in which you live your own life more abundantly.
The six practices are merely meant to be suggestive. They are strategies I have found to be successful in my own life. The list is in no way definitive, or intended to be all encompassing. I encourage you to borrow them as needed, or develop your own list of practices. Whatever you do, allow the wisdom of your own inner Christ to personally and uniquely lead you to living life more abundantly.
After all, the Christ in me is the same Christ in you, and the same Christ that was in Jesus. To reveal this truth is the reason Jesus came, so that you and I may have life, and have it more abundantly, to the fullest measure possible. And I am grateful it is so.
