In the ancient times of the Hebrew people, the Pharaoh of Egypt was disturbed by a dream. In his dream, 7 fat and lush cows were wholly consumed by skinny, scrawny cows but the lean cows did not change. It was as if they had eaten nothing. The Pharaoh called for Joseph to interpret his dream. Joseph, son of Jacob and Rachel, grandson of Isaac, was also an alien to Egypt, a foreigner. Joseph was a man of the Hebrew people and read the dream for the Pharaoh, perceiving God’s message. The 7 good cows are a time of growth and abundance, of heavy harvests and abundant water. The 7 bad cows are the following time of famine and scarcity. During the time of the good cows, we must save for the time of famine, when we must spend.
This is the counter-intuitive model of God, the way in which God calls us to be different. And the Pharaoh believed and responded. Great stores were made from abundant harvests and when the famines came, food was there to be dispersed. This intervention saved people throughout the land, and in fact fed Joseph’s own family towards the end of the Egyptian famine. But what a temptation it must have been to eat well in the days of heavy harvest, and to horde whatever could be found in times of little.
During the times of abundance and great wealth, stores and savings must be made. Reserves and reclamations must happen, for famine is next. In the time of scarcity and hunger, we must spend, disperse, and be generous in our support and care of our neighbor, the other. This is the will of God, the way of faith.
But here’s the hard truth in front of me now. THIS is our time of plenty, of heavy harvest and abundant water. Now. The next decade are our good cow years. This is the time to create the new systems for times of little. This is the time to craft reserves and build the relationships that will carry us through the famine. This is the time to find routes of synergy and leverage, to break apart the heresy of the zero-sum game.
The zero-sum game is the concept that within a system, there is a finite amount of X to be distributed and dispersed according to principles of effect. It’s the balanced budget. On a practical level, the zero-sum game breaks down easily, yet is persistent as a go-to rational for fear and hording-based action.
Almost nothing is truly discreet within a system like this. For a zero-sum game to even be a construct requires some level of unrealistic isolation which is impossible in real life. Life is messy. Systems are permeable, and mitigating factors can never really be corralled.
So stop trying to make it even. Stop trying to rationalize your hording and selfishness as responsible caring for your own. Find ways to live into a vision of abundance, and adopt deep patterns of generous giving and creative restoration. The fear of scarcity has a clawing effect on the soul, and will eat away at all joy. But as we move into times of chaos and a little bit of the unknown, carry this time of abundance and grace with you. Peace.
Rev. Jessica Abell, Prophet of the Apocalypse