Flip the Script

When most people hear the word “script,” they think of a role in a play or a story. And that’s fair—sometimes, we do feel like we’re acting out a part someone else wrote for us.

But that’s not the kind of script I’m talking about here. I’m talking about the kind that runs behind the scenes—like in a computer or smartphone.

A script, in programming terms, is a set of instructions embedded in the system. It tells your device or app how to behave based on the inputs it receives. They can be general instructions, or specifically designed so the program can perform custom-built behaviors based on a customer’s needs.

To the user or customer, it looks simple on the surface. But behind the scenes it is anything but. And yet still, it’s quiet. Automatic. Invisible. But powerful.

And many of us are living with a scarcity script running in the background of our lives. We’ve been programmed—by culture, history, fear, by trauma and survival—to respond to life through the lens of “not enough.”

We don’t always see it. But it’s running. And it’s shaping everything.

When it Started

I graduated college in 2009—right into the middle of a recession. And I got married.

Jobs were scarce. Salaries were low. And the path I thought I was on—get a degree, land a job, build a life—felt like it was detouring on a long dirt and gravel road.

However, it seemed like most of the world was also detouring through the Struggleville along with me. What could I do but keep moving forward, hoping to find smoother roads eventually.

My wife and I quickly felt the pressure of two incomes being necessary just to keep things afloat. And even then, it might not be enough. What would we do when children come along?

That’s when I first began to experience what I now call the scarcity “script.” It was downloaded with my first paycheck and updated every two weeks thereafter.

The scarcity script is a mindset—a hidden system running in the background—that says: “There’s never enough.” This threat of potentially falling behind works directly against Christian principles of discipline and generosity.

But it’s not just about money. It touches how we work, how we parent, how we give, how we serve, and how we relate to others. Scarcity shows up in the background, often quietly. And it begins to shape how we make decisions. When you do everything “right” and still come up short, or aren’t as far ahead as you perceive others to be, it’s hard not to start living defensively.

I remember wrestling with giving. We tithed and gave beyond that. We were generous even when the numbers didn’t always make sense. It often felt like giving meant losing. Like we were being irresponsible or naive.

And so the script continued to trigger: Hold on to what you have. Protect what’s yours.

And then as life progressed and expenses seemed to outpace raises and promotions, it became - maybe you should pick up a second job or shift careers altogether. Maybe it’s time to reconsider convictions and commitments outside of work.

For many people, this mindset becomes normal. And eventually, it shapes not only their choices, but their identity.

Flipping the Script

What began changing this for me wasn’t financial breakthrough catapulting me to YouTube celebrity status. It was slow—gradual—and it started with the Bible. This verse, oddly enough.

Reading Scripture, praying, listening to solid teaching—it began to open my eyes. And later, through learning about economics and the systems that shape modern finance, I started to understand something deeper:

The world trains us to think in scarcity. And it incentivizes us to behave accordingly.

God’s scoreboard is different.

Much of what we accept as “normal” is often a byproduct of fear: Fear of lack. Fear of falling behind. Fear of being taken advantage of. And when fear drives the story, we start to make decisions that push us further from God and further from peace, not closer.

God isn’t limited by spreadsheets or salaries. He is limited by the “script” we are allowing to determine our thoughts, words and behaviors. He sees our needs—but He also sees our hearts.

Paul wrote in Philippians, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

That doesn’t mean we sit back and wait for miracles. That does not mean we succumb to being irresponsible. It means we align ourselves with God’s priorities. We do what’s right. We stay faithful. We walk in obedience.

And we trust that in His economy, nothing is wasted—and nothing done in the obedience of faith goes unseen. As I often say, make the next winning decision. Do what is right, no matter how small or how big, and God will compensate you for it.

Breaking the scarcity script isn’t just about thinking positive thoughts, making a lucky investment or giving more money. It’s about seeing life through a different lens. It’s about living from a place of confidence in God’s competence instead of fear-based action.

Scarcity tells us to shrink, to guard, to withhold. And remember, this is not just financially. The misaligned incentives spill over into many other areas of life.

God calls us to grow, to trust. To act with Godly ambition and humility, and to give—wisely, patiently, and faithfully. And that trust isn’t built overnight.

But over time, as you lean into God’s way of doing things, you begin to experience something different. Not just more income. But more peace. More purpose. More clarity. More freedom.

Because when you live according to God’s economy, you start to realize: You were never meant to live in another one.