I'm Rich!!!

I'm rich! I'm rich! Filthy rich! Rolling in riches! I'm rich! Whoo hoo!!! I'll say it again.... I'm rich!! I really am! I'm certainly not rich in money but when I sit and think of all the Lord has given me, blessed me with, I can honestly say that I KNOW I am rich. 

Our society puts such a huge emphasis on wealth. Years ago we had bankers, now we have 'wealth management experts', 'financial advisors', and other such experts. We're asked questions about our 'portfolio' and other questions dealing with money and investments that I don't even understand. We see advertisements on TV and on billboards for lottery companies promising huge amounts of riches and although we don't buy lottery tickets, we've all played the 'imagine if' game from time to time. 'Imagine if you had a million dollars, what would you do with it?' We're surrounded by money or the quest of it. But that's not wealth. That's not what defines being rich.

I once heard it said that the poorest North American person is richer than many people in third world countries and I believe that's probably true, in some respects. When I look at the house I live in, a four bedroom century + house, I know I am blessed. I choose not to look at the sloped floors or the other faults it has, instead I look at the blessing it is for our family and I know that in other countries many families could live together under this one roof, yet we have it all to ourselves. When I went to Kenya and Mexico I saw family homes which were only one room with walls made out of scrap metal which had been salvaged and put together to form a shelter. I know I am rich.

We have friends who would love to have children but biologically they can't. I have three. I'm rich. Psalm 127:3 tells me that my children are a reward from my Heavenly Father. I know many lonely people who would love to have a mate. I have a wonderful husband of 27 years. I'm rich. I have seen people who were skeletal, not by choice, and I have the problem of needing to lose weight. Instead of complaining about the pounds I should shed, I am thankful that I have always had enough to eat. I'm rich. I have always had clothes to wear and I've never had to wear them until they were ragged and falling apart. I have always had the luxury of driving a vehicle, no we haven't had a brand new one in years, but we've always had a vehicle to drive. In many countries, our own included, owning a car, even an old one, is an impossibility for some. 

I could list my 'riches' all day long but that's not what this note is about. It's about realizing how rich you really are. It's not about 'Freedom 55' or winning the lottery. It's not about how many 'toys' you can accumulate or how many vacations you can have. It's about realizing that we are all rich in one way or another and being thankful for that. I'm grateful for everything the Lord has blessed me with. He has met my every need and I know it all comes from Him. 

Our mentoring pastor once took my husband out at Thanksgiving time to deliver fruit baskets to people who needed them. They went to some pretty poor places and the recipients were so thankful for the delicious fruit. One family had a dirt floor, another had wide boards with spaces between them for their floor so the heat from their pigs which lived beneath the house would warm them in the winter time. Another house they visited had marble floors and statues in the foyer with a crystal chandelier hanging above. 

Wait a minute.... that house doesn't seem like it would need a fruit basket. But the lady who lived there was so thankful, maybe even more thankful than the other ones who got a fruit basket that day. What was the difference? Well, the first houses had children running around, playing barefoot in the yard. They had several dogs with wagging tails and the husband and wife loved each other. No, they didn't have marble floors or crystal chandeliers but they had everything they needed. They were richer than the lady with the worldly wealth who was all alone. She had no family, no one to share her wealth with. She lived in that huge mansion by herself longing for someone to come and visit and my husband and pastor did. She was the poorest of all the families they had visited that day.

We need to change the way we view wealth. Wealth isn't about money. I serve a Lord who has promised to care for my every need.(Philippians 4:19) He has promised that He will never see His seed begging bread. (Psalm 37:25) He has promised me a mansion in Heaven some day,(John 14:2) but I'm not sure I'll spend much time in it. I just want to sit by Him and thank Him for all He's done for me. Living with an attitude of gratitude makes you realize just how rich you really are.