Being rich

“What would you do if you had a million dollars?” This was a question my young son would ask me for months on end, hoping to get a really good answer.

“Are we rich?” was the other one.

I loved it that he couldn’t tell our economic status from one day to the next. I would always tell him that we were very rich and had much to be happy about. But the fact is that I have been rich (lots of money in my bank account) and I have been poor (little to no money in my bank account). The lesson I learned was that poor can be rich and rich can be poor.

I think that enough has been written about how material wealth doesn’t bring happiness (check out the Happy Planet Index - an index worthy of its own blog!), so I won’t say any more on the subject, but I do want to explore the richness of being “poor.” There is something deliciously radical about being able to do so much on a limited budget and without having to have things upon things. Here are some of the lessons I learned:

Even though we all have to deal with life within some constraints or limits, there are still an infinite number of ways to accomplish things. For example, it would seem that there is very little between the numbers 6 and 7. However, if you delve a little deeper, you see that there are an infinite number of numbers between 6 and 7. We have 6.1, 6.125, 6.1259, and so on; Then, we also have 6-1/8, 6-2/5, etc. Likewise, if we have to live within a certain monthly budget that seems small, there are really an infinite number of ways in which we can live and enjoy our lives and still meet all our obligations. Mary Baker Eddy writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures

“Soul [another world for God] has infinite resources with which to bless mankind, and happiness would be more secure in our keeping if sought in Soul.”

Other lessons learned:

• Appreciate the details of life. One friend found herself as a single parent with little income for her two children. She started by being grateful for her tube of toothpaste. This gratitude grew and grew, and soon more opportunities for bringing in an income came to her.
• Get creative. I have had more fun when traveling to different places in the world on my own. Creative modes of transportation, making friends and staying with friends, seeking out the best deals in the market all gave me a very different perspective than that offered to a regular tourist. In another situation, one woman, prior to living with us, used to get her food at a local food shelf. When she lived with us, she could make the best meals from a bag of potatoes.
• Trust God. Living closer to the financial edge, I have learned to live closer to God and lean more on God. God is a God of abundance. “Behold it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
• Be open to sharing, cooperation and uncommon solutions. We have had many people live with us throughout our married lives. Some of our friends were going through a transition; others were going to school, moving back into the country, looking for housing, etc. And what happened in these situations was wonderful. They were blessed and we were blessed as we shared everything. Caring for my boys was shared, meals were shared, stories were shared over tea and an extended sense of family was established.
• Money doesn’t determine who you are, what you do, or the direction you take in life. You do. And with your hand in God’s, you can draw on the wealthy inheritance of your Father –Mother. She is guarding, guiding and providing you a life rich in goodness, experience and adventure.
  
  

The answer to my son’s questions? We are rich and if I had a million dollars, I would probably be doing what I am doing right now!

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