I believe in generosity. And abundance that fuels generosity. Not Christian get rich quick schemes. Not assumptions that Christians are divinely marked for affluence as their spiritual right. Not presumption that being born into one economic culture or another means you were fated by God to remain there all your days. But that you should be free to work out what that looks like, between you and God. And then be generous to others with however little or much you possess.
But usually it’s much.
We were born into a culture, or chose a culture, or were led into a culture, that runs on some kind of economy. And money is the fuel. Since you’re reading this online, I assume you are rich enough to afford a computer, or to rent time on one, or at least to live somewhere that can afford to offer free access. Which means that by any objective contemporary or historical standard, you would be considered well-off, if not wealthy, by the vast majority of humankind.
Whoa! I got bills! Things are tight! I’m not rich!
Actually, today, if you are living on more than $2 a day, you’re better off than half of the world’s population. And that’s literally today’s $2, not adjusted for how much maize you can buy in Ghana, or what a nickel got you at the general store back in the 1900s.
In my Healing Your Financial Soul seminars, I like to quote a statistical model to bring perspective to the material state of people around the world. Especially as a wake-up for North Americans who fancy themselves to be deprived because they’re feeling financially stressed. It’s called, “Who lives in the Global Village?”, updated in 2005 by David Copeland. If the world was a village of 100 people:
- 80 would live in substandard housing
- 67 would be unable to read
- 50 would be malnourished and 1 dying of starvation
- 39 would lack access to improved sanitation
- 33 would be without access to a safe water supply
- 24 would not have any electricity (and of the 76 that do have electricity, most would only use it for light at night)
- 5 would control 32% of the entire world’s wealth – all 5 would be U.S. citizens
So, if you have heat (or even air conditioning) where you live; will eat once, twice, thrice or more today, and probably again tomorrow; have clean running water (hot, even) and sewers; electricity to spare for your toaster, coffee maker and smartphone recharger, anytime of day; sleep safely under a roof that doesn’t leak and behind a door that locks if you need it; can get medicine when you need to; and can read this … you are already living like nobility.
Not that we should feel guilty for having these things — actually, it means we’re in a tremendous position to serve the needs of others for these basic necessities and recruit other well-off people to pitch in too.
I guess what I’m getting at is that middle-class Christians who say pretentious, laughable stuff like, “It’s okay for Christians to be comfortable, and even be blessed … but not rich,” need a perspective check. They’re already judging from a privileged position, looking up from an already elevated status. (Financially, at least.)
There’s a Canadian bank that is running a campaign with the slogan, “You’re richer than you think.” I think they have a point.
“I am [already] rich in _____ !”
Healing Your Financial Soul 