If I was making $6/hour and working 40 hours a week, I'd make more than 87% percent of the world. You could make an argument that I was rich. We just don't look at it that way. I know that I'm personally used to living in a home that's way bigger than I need. We have two cars, three tv's, air conditioning, heat, electricity, indoor plumbing, an awesome cardboard cut out of Jerome Bettis and a two car garage.
Can you imagine going somewhere where they have to walk 7 miles to get water that's probably contaminated and telling the locals that you have indoor housing for your car? As they're splitting a 4 oz. glass of dirty water you could explain to them that you give your lawn gallons of water every week and you're using water to clean your car.
"Your car gets water to stay clean and then lives indoors?" "Yup, I'm in the top 10% of the world's richest people!" "And that's how you spend your money?" "Yup"
It's strange to me how jealous we get of rich people and all the stuff they have. Last year in the movies and on tv, rich guys were the go-to bad guys. There was a group that actually went back and tracked the characters on tv and on film and identified the profile for your typical bad guy. Apparently, he's a 30-something, rich, white guy. They are awful, awful people.
It's easy to point to them and say they're not doing much.
Here are a couple of questions I have for you:
How many tv's do you have (do you have more than one for every person in the house?)
How many square feet do you have to live? How many feet per person living there?(Pre-World War II the average house was the size of a three car garage)
Do you spend more on clothes and travel than you do on helping to prevent disease or poverty?
What percentage of your income do you freely give to those in need?
What percentage of your income do you spend on cable, movies, the internet and your entertainment?
Is there any chance Fuller could score double digits against me in ping pong?
Do you spend more money eating out or helping others to feed their families?
Maybe it's time to stop pointing the finger at others?
Maybe I'm part of the problem?
How are you doing?
You're killing me, Smalls...
ReplyDeleteseriously, this is the stuff that I am wrestling with. How can I say that the Kingdom of God is my priority unless my life is re-oriented around the things that God holds to be important become important to me?
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a couple of things I'm watching on eBay that I need to check on...wait--uhhh...hmm...yeah
where is the ping pong smack?
ReplyDeleteWe make really selfish decisions everyday. Sometimes we just don’t realize the effect we can have on lives when we decide to give.
ReplyDeleteIf I decide not to take my wife out to dinner this week and give $40 to Christian Solidarity International, they would use it to pay for a survival kit for a family of five freed slaves in the Sudan. One of these kits contains: A tarp, a blanket, a mosquito net, a pan, a 5 liter bottle, a sickle for cultivating food, fish hooks, and 12 kilos of millet. A kit will determine if a family of five has a chance of surviving till next years growing season.
--TGI Friday’s for dinner…..or save a family from certain death?
If tomorrow I decide not buy a cup of Starbucks, make my coffee at home, and give my change to Dayspring International, they will use it to lead sixteen people to Christ in India. That’s $0.10 a person.
--Buy designer coffee…..or give salvation and hope to 16 people?
If this year I decide to drive a $1500 junk mobile, not have a $400 car payment, and give the difference to Shared Hope International, they would use the $3300 to free 3 child sex slaves, rehabilitate them, and care for them for one year
--Define myself by driving a cool car……or free three children from a horrific life of forced prostitution?
Much can be accomplished by people who realize they are rich and choose to live simply.
And we have come full circle- rich white American guys in their 30's and 40's are the primary consumers of the third world child sex trade.
ReplyDeleteI will destroy you in ping pong.
ReplyDelete