Poverty: A State of the Bank Account and Spirit

Blessed are the poor in Spirit

There is one thing that many of us forget:  It is not a shame to be poor.  We may not have the luxuries that a whole lot of others have, BUT... I say it again, it is not a shame to be poor.  In fact, there is dignity in whatever status of life we are in.  There is dignity in hard work, trying to make ends meet... working hard to achieve something only hard work rewards... in an honest way.

I can speak from the point of a writer...  How many of us, despite the very low article earnings from sites still write for those meager amounts?  Despite the pittance that is paid, we still work hard at increasing the number of articles in our portfolios with the hope that one day it will turn out to be rewarding for even better writing opportunities.

With jobs being scarce all over the world, and common man left to fend for himself in desperate ways, it is not a shame when one struggles with whatever little job is around that gets him by to earn in a dignified manner.  In fact, it is for those who do not have the inclination to work that cannot fall in this category of 'dignified earner'.   In fact, the Bible tells us... 'Those who do not work, should not eat."

It is only at difficult times that we  push ourselves to the limit... to bring out the best in us.  If things came easy, we take it for granted.  But when we have hard times, we learn how to rise above the occasion.  It's alright to be poor provided we learn how to adapt to our conditions, and that means being satisfied with 'today'.

The Bible speaks of another kind of poverty: the poverty of Spirit.  There are those who are poor in Spirit. These are the people who are blessed.  Not those who think that they have the Spirit and 'know it all' and are invincible and saved, and all else are doomed.  No.  Those who are poor in Spirit!  It is only those who recognize themselves as  poor in the Spirit, can pray for and ask the Lord to infill them more and more in the Spirit.  And the reward for this spiritual poverty and yearning to be filled is the promise of the 'kingdom of heaven'.  OK... so its spiritual poverty for now and heavenly riches later.  Sounds good enough for me.  Isn't that what we hope to achieve in the long run?

Today I want to take the time to thank God for the financial and spiritual conditions my life is in. I also praise God for what He takes me through so I can use the gifts and talents HE has given me to help me rise above the situations and bring out the best in me.  I praise God for showing me ways and means by which I can do it, and also leading me to people who help empower and strengthen me.  I also praise God for my longing to be filled more and more with His Holy Spirit, for it is this Spirit that helps me in every sphere of my day to day activity and gets me to where I rightfully belong in the end.

I praise God for this so called 'poverty' that we go through and pray that we understand what's important for our lives, work hard at earning our living, and be satisfied with who we are and what we go through today. Amen.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

(Matthew 5:3)