Saturday, January 13, 2018
I'm Rich
“I’m rich!” shouted nine-year-old Jerry as he
bounded into the house, letting the storm door slam behind him.
“What do you mean?” queried his single-parent mother,
who had just finished a ten hour shift and was keenly aware that she was in the
below-average income bracket.
As Jerry peeled off his gloves and began wrestling
with the zipper on his down coat, he eagerly explained: “I shoveled Mr. Lemke’s
driveway and he gave me five one-dollar bills.
And he told me he would do that every time I shoveled his drive. We’re
gonna be rich, mom. All our problems are going to be over now!”
There have been times when I thought just like Jerry. Superficially I believed the myths of Hollywood
and Madison Avenue, thinking that life would be more wonderful if I just had
“enough” money or if I could do something “significant” so people would notice
me. Even more superficially, I have
sometimes pursued fulfillment through food or some physical experience. In other words, I thought money, fame or some
experience would make my life rich.
Then I went to Sunday School where I heard a
different story; it was really hard for me to embrace the philosophy of Jesus
who said things like, “it is better to give than receive” and “he that loses
his life for my sake will find it.” Yet,
after over half a century of life experience I have noticed that Jesus keeps
getting proved right. It turns out that the things that make life most
wonderful are not money, fame, and physical highs. Life’s true riches are tied to more
substantial things like: fidelity, dignity of life, self-respect, mutual trust and
honesty. Those are commodities that are
developed through commitment, obedience, humility and discipline. And they are hidden from anyone seeking to
get rich quick or to take moral short cuts. Eventually Jerry will discover that
five dollars per snow storm is not much to live on, and that even getting a lot
of money doesn’t necessarily make for a rich life.
If you have become disillusioned with the rat race
of life, try looking for buried treasure.
I found a virtual gold mine concealed between the covers of The Bible—a
book whose wisdom remains hidden to many.
This wildly popular and time-proven book reveals that the person who
gives up on their get-rich-and-happy-quick strategies and embraces God’s
principles will find the secrets to an abundant life. One scripture puts it like this: “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in
our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23a NLT)
These “fruits” are the real riches of life. No
amount of money or fame can compare to love, peace and joy. Nothing can bless a home like patience, kindness
and goodness. Faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control are more precious than gold. These riches cannot be obtained
through competition. They cannot be
inherited. They cannot be
manufactured. They are fruit. They are the result of letting God live in
our hearts.
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