“The well of Providence is deep. It’s the buckets we bring to it that are small.”

— Mary Webb

I’ve been observing how the ups and downs of the stock market have been affecting people’s sense of well-being. For many, the Dow is like a barometer that dictates how we should be feeling each day. When the Dow is up, we have a tendency to feel good. When the Dow is down, our tendency is to feel a bit down as well.

My sense is it’s because most of us are more worried about the well running dry than about the size of the bucket we’re taking to the well. Here is the good news: From a perspective of universal abundance, the “well” can never run dry because it is infinite in supply.

In economically difficult times such as these, it’s easy to be seduced into believing otherwise, and, in the process, our bucket seems to get smaller every day as we buy into the drama.

The state of the economy has nothing to do with the supply of our good because it is not the source of our good.

To illustrate this, visualize going to a well that is rich in resources beyond your belief and is so deep you can’t even see the bottom. Imagine that this well contains whatever good you seek to be a complete, healthy, happy, fulfilled and whole person.

Now, simply lower your bucket down deep into the well and, with no effort at all, pull it back up. How much “good” is contained in your bucket? The answer is obvious, isn’t it?

It depends on the size of your bucket.

A pint-sized bucket can hold only a pint of good. On the other hand, a 5-gallon bucket can hold 5 gallons of good.

Then again, what if your bucket were the size of a 50-gallon drum or the size of a swimming pool? How big is your container? Whatever it is, that’s the amount of good you will have, and no more.

Webster’s dictionary tells us that one definition for Providence is “divine guidance and care from God.”

I like the above quote by Mary Webb because it illustrates that the Infinite is always caring for its creation by making available an abundance of whatever is needed without limit—it’s the size of our bucket that limits us.

The concept of the bucket is a classic metaphor because it’s one with which we can all identify. Think of your personal bucket as your consciousness.

Your consciousness is shaped by your beliefs, and your beliefs determine the quality and quantity of what goes into the bucket. So the question is: What size is your bucket?

If your experience in life isn’t yielding enough of whatever you are seeking, don’t go searching for another well, because there is only one well and it is Infinitely deep. Get a bigger bucket—expand your consciousness, deepen your belief and faith in a universal Presence that is Infinite and Eternal and knows how to sustain that which it creates with more than enough.

We build a bigger bucket one new belief at a time, based on our unity with God and an understanding that we don’t have to ask for more of anything because the gift has already been made—it’s part of our divine inheritance.

As you take a look at how you approach life today, give some thought as to the size of the bucket you carry with you.

How do you perceive life? Is your glass half empty or half full? Is your bucket the size of a cup or a much larger container?

If there is any area of your life where there appears to be less than enough, challenge that appearance, not by complaining that the “well isn’t deep enough” to satisfy your needs, but by asking, “Why is my bucket so small?”

Listen carefully and you will be given the wisdom needed to build a bigger bucket, and make no mistake, building your consciousness will require some form of action on your part.

You may discover that learning how to love yourself more fully, knowing and believing you are a worthy recipient of life’s abundance, is the starting point.

Abundance is a universal principle available to one and all alike, so don’t let the drama of the Dow determine how much good you can have. Get a bigger bucket.

Dennis Merritt Jones is a local spiritual mentor, keynote speaker and author of the book “The Art of Being: 101 Ways to Practice Purpose in Your Life.” Contact him at www.DennisMerrittJones.com.