Being poor in spirit has a lot, if not everything, to do with a realization as to who we are apart from God and with God. Someone who is poor in spirit will often be the first to let go and give anything away with unspeakable generosity. This much is often thought about. However, I also feel as though there is something that also accompanies this willingness to give extravagantly. I believe that someone who is poor in spirit also may be the last to feel compelled to actually give anything that we might deem tangible.
They realize that stuff is just stuff and more importantly that they don’t have anything without Him anyway. So, in a way they have nothing just like the person in front of them. They also realize that giving stuff rarely actually solves problems and sometimes creates them. Often times we are moved by pity because of our pride and we feel better about ourselves when we give. We even will often try to disguise it in our hearts as compassion but if we were honest it is usually out of pity.
Someone who is poor in spirit will generally give abundantly to actually meet needs. They may or may not give more often than that. There are many poor in the world today. I wonder how many of them are actually poor in spirit. There are few rich but I also wonder how many of them are poor in spirit. I wonder how often we have judged those who are in a position to give stuff with generosity and haven’t felt the need. How many of them are really stingy and greedy for more and how many of them have just already learned that stuff is just stuff and realize that it might be better not to give stuff even if they get judged and people won’t understand them…Those in the church who have been blessed with an abundance on this Earth who are truly poor in spirit may know a loneliness most of us don’t understand.
Regardless, when it comes down to it, true wealth is found in relationships and I wonder if it is possible for someone who is truly poor in spirit to not be rich in relationships because they will be the first to understand that the only gift really worth giving is themselves.
