POOR BUT RICH
My family did not have much money, but we
were rich nevertheless. We were not poor because my father was lazy. He worked
long, hard hours at jobs that were hazardous and physically demanding. But for
many years he received low pay. Low pay plus a large family equals poor. God
blessed us with other riches, though, that cannot be found in monetary things.
My parents had four small children, all girls, over a
span of as many years. Even so, when the youngest (twins) were two years old, my parents were willing to take in my two young
cousins, a boy and a girl, who had become homeless. They were the same ages as the two oldest of we siblings. A few years later, two more babies, a girl and boy, entered the family about two years apart. Mom
and Dad were poor in cash, but rich in compassion and love.
We learned to have fun naturally and did not
rely on the artificial fun that comes from things that money can buy, “canned
fun,” or worldly activities. My mother played the piano by ear, so we would
often sing church songs around the piano. She and “the twins” each had a great
sense of humor, so there was much laughter in our house. We were creative in finding entertainment and adventure. We were rich in spirit.
Though some treated us as if we were bad and
looked down on us because we were poor, we were good people – Christian people.
God carried us through several traumas and much adversity, including the suicide of dad's oldest sister, the mother of the two cousins that came to live with us, and He sent his angels to protect us when we had a car
wreck that involved all ten of us, and in which my mother’s shoulders were crushed
when she and the baby were thrown from the car. That is a story in and of itself. Through all
of our trials, God was our hope and our sustainer. We were rich in God’s love
and care.
The poor are not to be despised. Christians
are to look at no one from a worldly point of view (II Cor. 5:16 ). Our commission is to help the poor,
including the fatherless, the widows, and the aliens who have no one to help
them. Paul told Timothy in one of his letters to command those who have worldly
riches “to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to
share” (I Timothy 6:18 ).
In order for Christians to share their
greatest riches with the poor, we must first try to understand them. We must go
where they go, do what they do, and feel what they feel. If we really want to
make a difference in their lives, we will share the riches of our time, energy,
and expertise. A hand-up is worth more to them than a handout, though an occasional handout acts as a blessing to them. We can also
point them in the right direction and offer them encouragement. But bear in
mind, the poor can increase our riches, too, for there is as much or more to
learn from them as they do from us.
We can be confident that God can restore the
poor. He has a special place in His heart for them. God chose those who are poor
in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom. He
promised that to those who love him (James 2:5). To those who say, “I am rich; I have
acquired wealth and do not need a thing” He says, “realize that you are
wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (Rev. 3:17). So the question is, who
is really rich and who is really poor?
--Becky Overturf Wall
--Becky Overturf Wall
