Friday, November 17, 2006

upon me

vital for me to realize--

i am stinkin rich.

even if i'm choosing to live simply and sacrifice some earthly comforts...
i still live in North America, i still have running water from 8 taps in my apartments (wow!), and a roof over my head that i can afford, even if i only worked 2 days a month. not to mention the perk of living in the Downtown East side of Vancouver-- 7 free meals a day (more since i'm a woman), handouts all over the place, and even free heroin if i want it.

even if i move to a remote village in Africa, with no resources, i'll always have the option of hopping on a flight back to New York, where my parents could help me out. i am rich because i have options. the poor cannot get out.

i receive all my rebukes toward the wealthy.

Lord, help me never to think of myself more highly (or lowly) than i ought.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great post totally agree.

olivia. said...

thanks anonymous.

Discover Leadership said...

Olivia, I totally agree with this as a world view. I grew up in a middle class home in a working class area, so was acutely aware of the difference. Further, I soon became aware of the fact that it was only an accident of birth that I had hope and a future, whereas, had I have been born in (say) a village in rural Africa or India I would not. At first I thought the answer lay in changing the world through extreme political systems, then I met Christ! This basic truth is still a major driver for me in my work for God. It is what Jesus meant in his answer to the question: "Who is my neighbour?"

Anonymous said...

Olivia,

Totally agree with this post. When I was forced to retire last December and lost a very large chunk of my income, I never thought I would survive. Now I know that no matter what, I can have food on the table and a roof over my head. God provides in ways we sometimes don't expect and those ways may make us humble ourselves. But, I know for me, I need a good humbling.

~~ Freak out!!