I woke up this morning and found myself thinking about what it actually means to live abundantly.

To me, an abundance mentality is the belief that there’s enough for everyone. That every person deserves to enjoy the bounties of life. That happiness, peace, joy, and real fulfillment are always within reach, no matter what.

But what of people who are born into situations where they have less? Less financial stability? Less family support? Or even the people who don’t even have food to eat? Who fear they may not even live one more day?

Soul-stretching heartache, loneliness, and challenges? All the lonely people? Where do they all belong? People killing, people dying. Children hurting. Hear them crying. Where is the love? Much like the Black Eyed Peas, sometimes, I don’t know.

But also, in my personal life, I really do know.

GOD is love.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

And Jesus loves us so much. In fact, no man has greater love for us than him, our elder brother.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).

I know that God loves me. Because of his great love, he’s blessed me immensely. And because I have been given much, I too must give.

Am I privileged? Yes. Without question.

I was born into a home with loving parents, the oldest of five wonderful kids, and I was raised to believe in Christ, trust him, and live in a way that binds me to him and brings his power into my life in a very real way. This has been an immense blessing in my life.

What do I know of challenges? What do I know of pain and heartache?

At least a thing or two.

I’ve been hospitalized on two separate occasions for multiple weeks for severe manic episodes. Periods in which I completely lost touch with reality and didn’t know where I was or who I was. Delusions to the point of clinically verifiable insanity.

Bipolar 1 disorder is scary. It’s the depths of hell and the heights of heaven all in one.

It’s scary. It’s exhilarating.

It’s clarifying. But also bewildering.

And it’s immensely terrifying and painful for the ones you love. Not to mention very, very expensive when hospitalizations come into play.

Anyway, back to abundance, purpose, wholeness, and depth.

Our own personal hells and our rock bottoms are what provide depth and meaning to our lives. Everything must have its opposite. Pleasure and pain. Health and sickness. Virtue and vice.

Some of the deepest and most compassionate people I’ve met have been to the lowest of the lows. They’ve been on the brink of ending their lives. They’ve felt despair that nearly crushes them alive. They’re acquainted with the lonely roads of hell. And many of them don’t do anything to get there. They just are given that cross to bear in life. Because they can. And because they are then have the deep capacity to show up for others from a place of knowing. They know. They’ve been there. That’s when empathy is real.

But even if nobody in the entire universe. No mortal human on this planet. No friend. No family member. No mentor. Even if none of them know exactly what you’re going through, there’s one person who does. It’s Jesus. Because he HAS been there. He has walked the path of hell utterly alone so none of us will ever have to do it fully on our own.

We will hurt. We will grieve. We will cry. We will feel the weight of the world. But through Christ, we can keep going. One step at a time. We can shoulder the burdens. He can even make them lighter to bear. But if we were not tried and tested in the furnace of affliction, how would we become proven and strong like steel?

When you suffer. When you’re stretched. Choose abundance. Choose hope. Choose to believe not just the universe, but a real, compassionate, loving brother is pulling for you.

Live the abundant life. It’s your privilege.