Who's Rich?

Have you been to the mall recently? How about Wal-Mart? Or Target? Or anywhere that seems to be flooded with tired-looking people carrying bags stuffed full of presents or grumpy folks pushing squeaky shopping carts filled with Christmas crap? Have you, like me, come to the realization that once again you’ve allowed yourself to get way too caught up in the materialness of this season?

"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Philippians 4:11-13

Right now as we are in this season of Christmas, as we are doing our pre-Christmas and soon our post-Christmas shopping, it is easy to focus on new things we wish we could have. We live in a culture where TV shows and commercials revolve around having more "stuff," where our status is based on money, and we are expected to dedicate all our time to achieving financial success. Our culture's god is Mammon (a big word that means money and stuff), and at Christmas, we are bombarded by messages to bow down to this god, when we should be worshipping the God who cared so little for money that He came to earth to lay in an animal’s feed trough.

This is probably a pretty good time to reflect on a wonderful saying of the rabbis. They asked the simple question, "Who is rich?" And, they answered it with a profound, yet simple answer: "He who is satisfied with what he has."

Certainly there are many in need, but many more of us don't see the amazing prosperity that we do have. For much of the world's people, and much of human history, people have known regular hunger, have had only one or two changes of clothes, and have worked hard to just make ends meet with little or no safety net of savings. Nowadays people have large retirement savings, buy pricey vacations and entertainment items, and grow obese eating in restaurants. What if we saw our homes as palaces that even kings and queens of former generations would feel comfortable in, do you think we'd feel satisfied with what we have then?

Sure, it’s going to be a ‘smaller’ Christmas for me and my family this year. And from what I hear, it’s going to be that way for many of my close friends as well. However, as we celebrate God's radical gift to us in Jesus, may we seek first His Kingdom, rather than worrying about the things we have or don't have. And may we learn to be content in every circumstance, knowing that God abundantly supplies all our needs. Then we will see how rich we really are.

Merry Christmas everyone!

A big 'thank you' to Lois Tverberg, who's book I'm reading currently. Her insight into the Hebrew Scriptures has been so exciting to me. Most of this information comes from her book, "Sitting At The Feet Of Our Rabbi Jesus".