This post goes out to all that would care to admit to being "rich in this world's wealth." To be clear, that isn't easy to admit! I wouldn't have admitted it myself up to as recent as eight or nine years ago. And my reluctance to do so had less to do with my balance sheet itself than it had to do with my definition of "rich in this world's wealth." Up until that time, I would have always defined that status based upon a perspective relative to those that had MORE than me - rather than a perspective relatvie to those that had LESS than me. Let me explain that a bit more.
Rog and I were raised in a relatively poor house in a relatively poor small town in central Iowa in the USA. After high school both of us went to a university where many or even most of our peers were financially from more wealthy families. The concept of focus on those with MORE than me came naturally. Even as I crossed the half century age and had left behind a successful career in accounting and was at the beginning of a successful career in real estate, there were ALWAYS (and always will be) people around me that are wealthier than me. Until eight or nine years ago I would not have admitted to being "rich in this world's wealth."
The turning point in that perspective had little to do with me becoming WEALTHIER. Rather, it had to do with me redirecting my eyes away from those that were wealthier than me and turning them towards those that have LESS than me. In the message I gave to community leaders throughout Zambia last August, at one point in the sermon - intending to demonstrate the belief that my Zambian brothers and sisters have more FAITH than I have - I would ask the group gathered to raise their hand if they had ever prayed to God for their next meal. Nearly every Zambian hand went up in every meeting we had. At that point I would confess to them that, even though I had grown up relatively poor by American standards, I don't remember EVER praying for my next meal. Now the next meal might have consisted of hot dogs or bologna, true American delicacies that I try to avoid these days, but I don't ever remember going to bed hungry. And that is something with which our Zambian brothers and sisters - and brothers and sisters from much of the rest of the world - have lots of experience.
"So what?" you might ask. Not a bad question at all. A major turning point for me in my faith journey came at a time when my perspective on wealth was being challenged and Rog and I came across the following text:
I Timothy 6:17-19 (The MESSAGE) Tell those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage - to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they'll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.
For whatever reason, at that moment in my life, a light bulb came on and I realized that I was indeed "rich in this world's wealth." And now that it was admitted, maybe I should give this direction from the scripture some thought.
I'm going to repeat something I have done in a blog post previously, and just re-think the grades I gave myself at the time:
- "Quit being so full of themselves" - FAIL.
- "And so obsessed with money" - Major FAIL.
- "Go after God" - at least not a total failure, as I did believe I had been digging deeper into God for most of my life.
- "Be rich in helping others" - FAIL.
- "Be extravagantly generous" - That phrase just jumped off the page at me. What could that possibly even mean, to be "extravagantly generous?" Jesus supposedly gave EVERYTHING and DIED for me. Is that what is expected of me?
It was after this "light bulb" moment that the opportunity to get involved in some African work in Ghana presented itself. We said "yes" to a number of very small steps of faith and found ourselves in the thick of international mission work. MESSY, MESSY, MESSY!! But in the midst of the mess, I was maybe learning little by little to "quit being so full of myself and so obsessed with money..." what it really means to "go after God...to do good, to be rich in helping others..." and, most importantly from my current perspective, to be "extravagantly generous."
Why did I suddenly feel the need to put this on the internet today??
To my American readers, I would love for you to consider sharing with our brothers and sisters in Zambia NOT because they are in such need, but rather because I believe there is "life that is truly life" on the other side of "extravagant generosity." I'm not asking you to go bankrupt! I haven't!! I'm not asking you to sell your house and live a more meager lifestyle! I haven't!! What I AM asking you to do is to take a step of FAITH... RIGHT INTO THIS TEXT... and give a little more than you would have before considering this text from the scriptures we hold to be so life giving.
This ministry is NOT just for the Zambians! It is for US. It is an opportunity for US to discover what is waiting on the other side of generosity. And I'm telling you. It's good.
To my Zambian readers, I know many of you would not think you are "rich in this world's wealth." Some of you need to rethink that even TODAY. And others of you, who are learning how to be better farmers, need to be prepared for the possibility that one day you will suddenly find yourself with SURPLUS rather than DEFICIT. I want you to be prepared when that day comes, and I BELIEVE IT WILL, brothers and sisters. Be ready to turn all that amazing FAITH you already have into EXTRAVAGANT GENEROSITY. Even as we in America struggle to lean into some EXTRAVAGANT GENEROSITY in order to build our FAITH and really live.
