It was a random January morning.
The Christmas tree was halfway out the door at my boyfriend’s house— ornaments wrapped, pine needles everywhere, holiday magic officially clocked out—when we spotted it.
A small gift under the tree.
The tag read: Faith — my oldest daughter.
Somehow, in all the Christmas hullaboo (wrapping paper explosions, charcuterie boards, hot cocoa refills, general chaos), we had missed it. I gave it to her the next morning, and her face lit up like it was Christmas all over again.
Not because it was big.
Not because it was expensive.
But because it was unexpected.
A gift on a boring January day hits differently.
And that’s when it hit me…
That’s what abundance actually feels like.
When Too Much Makes Us Blind
Every Christmas I have the same thought as I watch my older kids tear through gifts at Olympic speed.
So much money.
So much effort.
So much wrapping.
And they rip through it like raccoons in a Target aisle.
One or two gifts get a big reaction. The rest get politely stacked aside. Not because they’re ungrateful — but because when everything comes at once, nothing really lands.
I’ve seriously wondered if we should try Twelve Days of Christmas — one gift a night. Let things breathe. Let gratitude have a fighting chance.
Because what we don’t slow down to notice, we don’t really receive.
Scripture Was Way Ahead of Us
Paul figured this out long before Amazon Prime:
“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances… whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” — Philippians 4:11–12
The key word is learned.
Contentment isn’t automatic. It’s trained.
And that’s why he could say:
“I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.” — Philippians 4:13
Abundance isn’t about what’s in your hands.
It’s about what you’re rooted in.
We Miss the Gifts Because There Are So Many
We are surrounded by blessings we barely notice:
Warm food.
Safe homes.
Group text messages from our pals that have you snorting out coffee in a work meeting.
Comfy beds.
Bodies that still work (mostly).
Wayne Dyer nailed it:
“Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.”
We don’t need more — we need attention.
The Unexpected Gift Mindset
That forgotten January present became a little mantra to my heart.
Abundance feels best when it’s unhurried, unforced, and slightly surprising.
Psalm 23 says:
“The Lord is my shepherd; I lack nothing.”
Not “I have everything.”
But I lack nothing.
That’s the abundant mindset.
Living Dazzled
Oprah says:
“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”
I want to live like someone who just found a forgotten gift under the tree.
Grateful.
Present.
Quietly delighted.
Because abundance doesn’t always shout.
Sometimes it whispers:
Look at what you already have. It’s right there you just have to look under the branches.
And when you do, you realize…
Your life is already full. 💗
-Sam
Photo by Ivan S on Pexels.com
