When you look at the rings of a tree they tell you the history of that tree. Each year the tree grew, thus each ring is larger than the last, but there is also variety. Some rings speak of years of plenty and growth, and are wide, while narrow rings tell of lean or dry years. In the woods, though the years are different, each year the trees grow in abundance.

The point of an attitude of abundance is not to see every year as a fat one, but to appreciate how much we always have if we steward our resources wisely and share generously. An attitude of abundance keeps anxiety balanced with gratitude and loving-kindness. Thus, trees are abundant because they are part of the woods. The rings of a tree do not simply tell about the life of that individual, but of the whole ecosystem in which it lived. If a tree has too little rain or too little sun then so does everything else around it.  If one tree could take up more than its share during dry years then trees around it would die. So it is with people. Each of us is in the midst of an economic dry spell. Some of us have more than others, some of us have savings and stability that cushions the impact of the recession, but we all are connected and the suffering of each echoes through the whole of a society. Our sense of abundance comes from affirming the worth of all people and interconnectedness of all living things.

A church budget is also a little like the rings of a tree. For several years now we have had wide budgets. Often they have included deficits at the beginning and yet enthusiasm and growth have helped us find more than enough resources to meet our goals. Our year-end treasurer reports have often announced slight surpluses. This year I think it will take a conscious effort to make sure that we use our resources wisely, that we feel enthusiastic about what we are doing as a church, and that we keep growing. If we are able to keep alive our attitude of abundance, even in an economically dry year, the rings of our tree should continue to be wide. But even if our budget remains tight our spirits will stay large and gracious.

Peace,
Thomas