BEGGAR MENTALITY

A Response to "Beggar Mentality"

The Reality of Begging

Have you ever wondered why people beg? Sure, you have presumed that it is because life is hard and all that. But have you ever really tried to figure out why someone would leave home every day to stand in a market, church, mosque, or street corner to beg? Begging is a desperate act of survival. It is a cry for help from those who have been pushed to the margins of society. A beggar is regarded as a burden to society, and begging is seen as a serious social problem. There are a number of causes of begging which drive people to beg. It does not give anything to society. Rather, it destroys the image and prestige of the person involved in it as well as of the society in which he or she lives.

The Beggar Mentality

Beggar mentality is characterized by a diminished sense of responsibility for one's role in a situation or even one's own circumstances. This responsibility is instead transferred to another party. The afflicted party imagines that they and not the other party solely have problems. They do not realize that it is primarily their life and their responsibility. This mindset is not limited to those who beg on the streets. It can affect anyone who has given up on their own ability to change their circumstances. It is a mentality of dependency, of helplessness, and of passivity.

The Story of the Crippled Beggar

There is one beggar in Acts 3:1-10, but there are actually three poor men in this story. What is more interesting is that in this story we are shown two types of opposite mentalities: a beggar mentality, on the one hand, and an abundance mentality, on the other. We can understand why the beggar had a beggar mentality. He was obviously a poor man. The text says that he was crippled from birth, which probably explained why he could never have a job. And to emphasize his poverty, our text even says that he begged for money by the temple court every day.

The Abundance Mentality of Peter and John

Now, if Peter and John approached the beggar that day with a similar kind of mentality, they would probably have said to the poor man, "Look, sir, we are all actually not so different; we are also struggling to make ends meet just like you; look at us, do you see any silver and gold with us?" And then Peter and John would have walked away, forgetting that they did actually have something precious to share with the beggar. But thankfully, although the disciples were also poor, their hearts were not; they abounded in joy; they knew that they had with them something precious that they could always share with other people. That something to share was the power in the name of Jesus Christ.

The Beggar Mentality in Believers

Unfortunately, many of us today live with the kind of mentality like the crippled beggar before he was healed. We claim to believe in Christ, but we often live like a beggar. We live with the mentality of wanting more and more. Nothing seems to be able to satisfy our worldly desires. We often do not live with an abundance mentality, even though we have Christ in us. Giving is a big challenge for many of us, while wanting more and more seems to be more normal and natural. When we do not have a cellphone, we want a cellphone. After we have a cellphone, we want the newest cellphone. When we do not have a car, we want a car. After we have a car, we want another, better, newer car. When we do not have a house, we want a house. After we have a house, we want more and better houses; and so on and so forth.

The Insatiable Wants

Many of our bottomless wants are also psychological: wanting to be praised, wanting to be accepted, wanting to be respected, wanting to be number one, and so on and so forth. No wonder that we rarely feel the joy and power of Christ in our hearts. Christ is perhaps there in our hearts; but He is buried and crushed under a mountain of insatiable worldly and selfish wants. The desire for more has crowded out the joy of having Christ. The craving for things has replaced the contentment of His presence.

The Freedom from Beggar Mentality

Wanting to have something is not wrong in itself, especially when we really need it. But if we want something to the point where we cannot be satisfied anymore, or if we get to the point in our life where we never have a sense of contentment anymore, then we have become slaves to our own desires. Christ did not come to make us super rich. But He came to free us from, among other things, the beggar mentality. He came to give us an abundance mentality. He came to fill us with His joy, His peace, and His contentment. He came to make us givers, not just takers.

Final Reflection

The beggar mentality is a mindset of scarcity, of wanting more, and of never being satisfied. The abundance mentality is a mindset of gratitude, of contentment, and of generosity. Which mentality do you have? Christ has given you everything you need. He has given you Himself. Let that be enough. Let that fill you with joy. And let that overflow into generosity toward others.

Prayer for Abundance Mentality

Lord, deliver me from a beggar mentality. Help me to be content with what You have given me. Help me to find my joy and satisfaction in You. Let me not be controlled by insatiable wants and desires. Fill me with Your abundance so that I can give freely to others. Let my heart overflow with gratitude and generosity. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.