I’ve asked myself this many times.
I’ve heard others ask themselves this many times.
I’ve been asked this by others many times.
“How is it that they have nothing; no food, no water, no shelter, no money … but, they’re still happy, grateful, and praising the Lord?”
Throughout the year we’ve seen a lot of poverty. Poverty like I’ve never known or seen before doing the World Race. However, over the last 10 months I’ve learned I needed to redefine my definition of the word “poor”. Meeting people who in every sense of the word live in poverty yet, are so much richer than many people you know will do that to you.
I come from a generation of Americans that are driven by the world’s definition of rich. We want big houses, fast cars, lavish clothing … really the list never ends because no matter what we have it’s never enough. But, even with all of this STUFF we’re never truly satisfied.
Why?
Like I said, because it’s never enough.
Then you have people all over the world who have absolutely nothing who are content, satisfied, grateful, humble … many things my generation has forgotten how or maybe never even learned to be. People that by many would be defined as poor yet, believe that whatever they have is more than enough.
Why?
Because they don’t abide by the world’s definition of rich. They measure their wealth with God’s scale. Their richness comes from their spirit not their pockets.
In Deuteronomy 8:3 Moses is talking to Israel about remembering what the Lord has done for them and how He has humbled them. “So he humbled you by making you hungry and then feeding you with unfamiliar manna. He did this to teach you that humankind cannot live by bread alone, but also by everything that comes from the LORD’s mouth.” I whole heartedly believe there is no better living demonstration of this scripture today than that of the people we ask that very question: “How is it that they have nothing; no food, no water, no shelter, no money … but, they’re still happy, grateful, and praising the Lord?”
The people were told be an example to are actually the ones leading us by example. Somewhere along the generational gaps we flipped the switch and started fitting God into the small spaces of our lives instead of doing it the other way around. Moses made it very clear to Israel we can not live off of what the world offers alone. To stick with his food theme, we must make God the steak and what the world has our potatoes.
The answer to the question we ask many times is quite simple then … they’re still happy, grateful, and praising the Lord because they (literally and figuratively) don’t live off of bread alone. They’re rich in spirit making them wealthier than anyone who has a lot of stuff.
I am in no way exempt from the mindset of my generation and that is one of the many reasons God has been teaching me this lesson. I also believe though that He wants us to be the cause of the switch flipping back. He wants us to start leading by example of how to combat the true poverty of this world – the belief that “what you have determines your wealth”.
