Whosoever Hath 

Jesus taught, “For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.” (Matt. 13:12) 

At first reading, this sounds a bit discriminatory. If I have something, then I’ll get more. But if I don’t have something, I’ll get less. If I’m born into a wealthy family, then I’ll get more wealth, but if I’m born into poverty, I’ll get poorer. It doesn’t seem fair. 

Taken in context, Jesus is explaining why he speaks in parables: “because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.”

If I’m given the gift of understanding and I know that I “hath” that gift, then I’ll receive more of that gift. 

I believe that it applies to anything I receive. If I have faith the size of a mustard seed, and I know that I “hath” that, then that faith will grow. Is it initially a perfect faith? No. But if I nurture it, eventually my faith will become perfect. (See Alma 32) 

If I have a certain level of light and truth, and I know that I “hath” it, then that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day. (D&C 50:34)

A concept I’ve encountered over the years is the “abundance vs. scarcity” mentality. There are various takes on this, but the one I’ll mention here is this: That which I focus on, I get more of. So if my attention is on what I don’t have—not smart enough, not rich enough, not thin enough, not talented enough—then I’m likely to stay stuck in that lack. But when I put my awareness on what I do have, then I’ll bring more of that into my life. 

My all or nothing way of seeing the world can prevent me from “hathing” abundance. I might say, “Well, I don’t really have compassion, or peace, or joy.” But if I’m honest, I do have some compassion and some peace and some joy. So, by allowing myself to “hath” those gifts, they exist in me and I foster them to a greater degree. 

Coming to understand this has changed the way I pray. My prayers are more grateful. Instead of asking for more (fill in the blank), I thank him that I hath some (fill in the blank) and that it’s increasing. It helps me view my progress in a more hopeful and grateful way. 

Jesus taught: “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) Everything good comes from Him. So if I follow Him, he will give me more goodness, and I’ll “hath” it in greater abundance. 

To be continued . . . with Part 77