So, every night, we stay up late to talk to our host Dad, Captain Innocent, about anything and everything. The conversations literally range from love lives, politics, the kiddos, favorite colors, and everything and anything in between. Most nights I am very tired, however some of my most cherished moments are staying up late with Pastor.
One night, he was telling us how he is going to pray for us now and once we left. Of course, he is definitely wanting us to all get married, so he will pray for that for us. Second of all, he told me he was going to pray for me to be rich.
I immediately interrupted him and said I did not want to be rich. I know people in my life that are rich, have achieved the American dream, but have no real relationship with Christ at all. I have seen how money can affect people’s walk with the Lord. You don’t have to rely on the Lord to pay bills or extra expenses when you have all this money in the bank. Now, there is nothing wrong with doing well and being rich, but there is a Bible verse that says “It is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God, than a camel to go through the needle’s eye.” If the Lord blesses me with money, I pray I will be a good steward of it, however it is not something I ever pray for myself.
Well, he immediately interrupted me back, and said yes, he was going to pray for me to be rich. He said if I was rich I could afford to go to the soccer game if I wanted and to buy a coke at the store anytime I wanted.
This is when I got a big ol slap in the face. He, by no means, was praying for me to be rich in the sense of owning a mansion, driving a nice car, having so much money I don’t know what to do with it. This is when I realized my version and his version of rich were completely different. In America, I am definitely not considered rich, but in Rwanda, I am a very wealthy person. Technically, that is what the word “Mzungu” means, wealthy person and that is what we get called each and everyday when walking through the village or through town.
American rich is taking vacations all the time, driving nice cars, `eating at nice restaurants, basically doing whatever you wanted without ever having to take money into account.
Rwandan rich is going to town on off days to explore the city, buying meals in the city while you are there, going to soccer games on the weekends, buying snacks from stores anytime you want, basically not being stuck at home because you don’t have the money to go out and do anything.
This got me thinking about what really does make us rich though. I honestly do not have a huge desire to be American rich. Sure, it would be nice, but it is just not necessary. I already am Rwandan rich, which I am more than thankful for because I have been able to explore this beautiful country while I have been here, but I could have easily survived without. What I cannot survive without is being rich in the Lord.
I have the biggest desire in the world to be rich in the Lord. Full of knowledge about my Heavenly Father, full of joy given to me through the Holy Spirit, full of scripture on my heart from the word of the Lord, just overflowing with the power of the Holy Spirit. I want more and more of God, and when He died on that cross, He gave me the ability to be as rich in Him as I want to be. He is inside of me, and the more I follow Him, obey Him, serve Him, and just LOVE Him, the richer I will become.
Money has nothing to do with me being rich, but I am filthy stinkin rich in the Lord. Hallelujah and Amen.
