Living an Abundant Life

What is an abundant life?

If you asked someone on the street what it means to live abundantly, they might describe big houses, luxury cars, and financial success. But Jesus’ life tells a very different story. His life was not full of material wealth — quite the opposite. He was born in a smelly, noisy manger. Hardly a birth fit for a king.

His life was not filled with the pursuit of material wealth and possessions. Instead, it was filled with dependence on the Father for everything. Instead of pursuing a full bank account, He pursued a full heart. 

By spending time with the Father and knowing His heart, He had an abundance of love that He couldn’t not share with others. Jesus lived a life of full love, fulfillment, and abundance.

If Jesus’ life was the perfect model of abundance, what does that mean for us today? How do we live abundantly in a world that often equates success with comfort and power?

In Andy Crouch’s book Strong and Weak: Embracing a Life of Love, Risk, and True Flourishing, Crouch presents four quadrants of life: flourishing, suffering, withdrawing, and exploiting. Flourishing—the life Jesus modeled—is the result of both authority (which Crouch defines as “the capacity for meaningful action”) and vulnerability (which Crouch defines as “exposure to meaningful risk”). The other three quadrants reflect imbalances that hinder true abundance.

Jesus perfectly combined authority and vulnerability to live an abundant, flourishing life. Pictured below is a visual showing what Crouch is talking about:

There are four quadrants: flourishing, suffering, withdrawing, and exploiting. The goal is to, like Jesus, perfectly combine authority and vulnerability to the point where you are living in flourishing. The problems come when they are imperfectly combined.

If you have high vulnerability but little authority, you are in the suffering quadrant—exposed to risk but powerless to change your situation.

On the other hand, if you lack both authority and vulnerability, you are in the withdrawing quadrant. Many people find themselves here because it feels like a place of comfort and safety, yet it leads to disengagement from a meaningful life.

Finally, when you are high on authority and low on vulnerability, you are in the exploiting quadrant. This quadrant is full of people who society considers to be “powerful.” The people at the top surround themselves with safety and power — and thus, cutting themselves off from truly serving people in the most effective way.

During His time on Earth, Jesus had more authority than anyone else. He cast out demons. He healed the sick. He taught profound and complex lessons that we are still unpacking after 2,000 years. He knew who He was, and had absolute confidence in the direction that He was going.

Jesus also had profound vulnerability during His time on Earth. He went from Heaven (arguably the safest place in existence) to being born in a manger. His childhood was filled with strife. As an infant, His family fled to Egypt to escape King Herod’s attempt to kill Him. Later, He grew up under Roman rule, witnessing His people suffer under oppression. He boldly and directly charged into the midst of His enemies, doing everything that He could to change their hearts and minds. As a result, He was crucified. That is the kind of courageous vulnerability Jesus calls us to strive for in our own lives.

What quadrant do you find yourself in? What’s one step you can take today to step into greater authority and vulnerability so that you can live in true abundance?