Seeing Abundance Everywhere: When Faith Changes What You Notice

I’ve discovered that I have the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon.

Don’t worry—it’s not as serious as it sounds. In fact, in this case, it’s kind of a gift.

This phenomenon, also known as the frequency illusion, happens when something you’ve been thinking about suddenly seems to appear everywhere. Maybe you’ve experienced it. You start considering buying a red car, and suddenly it feels like every car on the road is red.

It didn’t increase in number—you just started noticing it.

Lately, I’ve found myself experiencing this in my faith.

As I prepare my heart for the Great Plains Retreat and Conference this September, I’ve been thinking and praying about God’s abundance. Not just in a general sense, but specifically in the life of our small member churches. And the more I’ve focused on it, the more I’m seeing it—everywhere.

In Scripture.

In people.

In our congregations.

Passages I’ve read many times before are coming alive in new ways. Words I’ve skimmed over suddenly feel highlighted. Abundance is jumping off the page. Just this morning, while reading the story of the feeding of the 5,000 in my Lenten devotional from the Presbyterian Outlook, a reflection by Rev. Teri McDowell Ott caught my attention in a fresh way.

We know the story well. Five loaves. Two fish. Not nearly enough—at least from a human perspective. Jesus gives thanks. The disciples distribute what little they have. And somehow, there is more than enough. In fact, there is abundance. Leftovers, even.

But Rev. Ott offered a perspective that stopped me in my tracks:

“God provides abundance, but someone has to organize its distribution, solve the logistics and show up day after day.”

Isn’t that the work of the church?

Isn’t that the work of our small congregations?

We may begin with what feels like “just enough”—a few willing hands, a handful of resources, a small group of faithful people. But God multiplies it. Again and again, God takes what is offered and expands it beyond what we could imagine.

And then—we act.

We show up.

We organize, we serve, we care, we lead. Day after day.

This is abundance in action.

It’s not always flashy. It doesn’t always look like “more” in the ways the world defines it. But it is real, and it is powerful.

There is abundance in the wisdom of longtime members.Abundance in the quiet faithfulness of volunteers.Abundance in relationships that stretch across generations.Abundance in the ways small churches care deeply for their communities.

Sometimes we just need to train our eyes to see it.

So here’s the invitation:

Remember the gifts within your congregation.Remember the people, the talents, the stories.Remember the ways God has already shown up.

And then—let your own version of the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon begin.

Start looking for God’s abundance.

Look for it in Scripture.Look for it in your church.Look for it in your community.

Because once you begin to notice it, you may find that it has been there all along—waiting to be seen.

Blessings,

Rev. Steve Nofel