Hoarding and Scarcity
It was just a couple of years ago when we all could remember shelves like the ones pictured– especially when it came to toilet paper. Maybe some are still using their COVID-19 stash, but most everything else has returned to some sense of normal. I can vividly remember going to the grocery store with limits on meat, dairy, flour, and toilet paper as people stored up pantries worth of food because we didn’t know what the government would regulate next concerning being in public and eating at restaurants.
Our natural tendency in times of trouble is to seek something that we can control amidst the things that we cannot, and hoarding is nothing new.
The wise king of Proverbs tells us:
People will curse anyone who hoards grain,
Proverbs 11:26
but a blessing will come to the one who sells it.
And we’re seeing this truth everywhere. When the politicians chose to have parties during COVID, to still carry on their vacations, and to buy up housing in the countryside, those that could not afford those things looked upon this activity and were justly irate. The scandal of a party cost politicians their positions and their credibility.
This goes along with displaying generosity. When we let fear rule, we are less generous and only concerned for ourselves. When we control our fear and have trust and faith, we can live generous, giving, and loving lives trusting that the love, friendship and community we have built will be there for us when times are difficult.
