In the mid 1940s, as World War II was nearing its end, a group of about 30 conscientious objectors took part in a research project that came to be known as the Minnesota Starvation Experiment. These men agreed to a yearlong experiment with varying and restricted diets, work schedules, and exercise commitments that would lead them, ultimately, into a state of semi-starvation.

Each week the men would wait for their dietary allowances to be posted, nearly certain that their intake would be less than that of the week before. As you might guess, the men who were served even slightly less than their counterparts reported becoming irritable and jealous of one another, wishing for the allotment of their neighbor.

One participant recalled that “food became the one central and only thing really in one’s life.” Faced with scarcity, these men began to shift the lens through which they saw the world. What they lacked became their primary focus. They cared increasingly about their own needs and decreasingly about the needs of those around them.

The point is this: the way that we understand what we have and what we need shapes the way we respond to the world around us.

Do you feel as though you’ve been blessed with a bounty, or are you in a constant state of want?

The ways that you consider your “allotment” might shape the ways that you view the others around you. When we are faced with either a real or a perceived sense of scarcity, the very thing that we lack becomes our one and central focus.

The verse “consider the lilies of the field” (Matthew 6:28) is an oft-quoted reminder that God cares for each and every part of his Creation. Just as the flowers come and go, so too do we. But along the way we are gifted, each and every one of us, with immense beauty, grace, and giftedness. Perhaps this season we might all consider the bounty that we’ve been blessed with as opposed to focusing centrally on what we lack.

You’ve all heard me say this before, so it won’t be a surprise when I say it again: I know that we don’t all have all that we need. Some of us lack for relationship and connection; some lack for steady income or security; some of us lack for health and wellness. In some sense, we all struggle with one lack or another. If there is ever a time that a conversation, a cup of coffee, or a gentle ear might be of support, I hope that you’ll reach out. You’re always welcome.

Be well, friends.

– Ed Sutter