What does it mean to be 'rich?' Ask a group of people and you will get a number of different answers, all of them holding some form of truth. I came across a prayer written by Paul Brand that challenged the way I answered this question. In reflecting on the parable of the Rich Young Ruler, he wrote:
Dear Lord,
I have been re-reading the record of the Rich Young Ruler
and his obviously wrong choice. But it has got me thinking. No matter how much
wealth he had, he could not - ride in a motor car, have any surgery, turn on a
light, buy penicillin (or anti-biotics), hear a pipe organ, watch TV, wash
dishes in running water, type a letter, (use a computer), mow a lawn, fly in an
airplane, sleep on an innerspring mattress, or talk on the cell-phone….
If he was rich, then what am I?
P. Brand, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, p. 61.
Thought: Is it possible that what we consider now as 'normal', was once a great sign of wealth for previous generations? Has our access to all of these things made us any happier?
"The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature." - Luke 8:14
Living in Grace
D3LM3
