Living Poverty As a Rich Kid

By: Missionary Team

True or false: At the age of 16 I created a fake pay pal account that said I was 18 so I could borrow some money from my friend to put in the stock market... True! I more than doubled the money. Following the example of the people around me, I decided from a young age, that I would never be poor. I was extremely cheap and saved every dime that came my way, literally. I was so set on making money from a young age that I would steal things and then pawn them off to my friends. At the age of 15, I started selling drugs as a side hustle to pay for the new phone I wanted. I was probably 12 years old when I had my first anxiety attack. The reason? my Mom told me college could cost up to 50K a year. I think it’s safe to say I was motivated more than most kids to make money growing up. However, My parents drilled into my head that motivation to succeed isn’t a bad thing! but it’s where that motivation comes from and what end it serves that is most important and can be either righteous or sinful. In my case, it was the second. My desire to make money was completely selfish and I realize now, that it was purely out of fear. Fear of being left out, fear of not being loved, and well... fear of money!

Now I can’t lie to you I grew up pretty rich. Not that my family owned a yacht or anything but my parents built a life for my family that was in the “comfortable to the well-off range”. Which is rich people's language for “we have money but we don't want to say we are rich” Now when we hear the word rich usually we associate it with greed and I hate that because my parents are less greedy than most broke people I know. My parents give and give and give through times when we had lots of money and through times when we had no money. We would go through times when the Lord would bless their finances in return for how much they gave but I also remember times when money was really tight, but they still found ways to give.

What all this led me to believe was this: Every Christian should make a personal vow to live out the spirit of poverty. Before you get ahead of yourself and go become a homeless person here is what I mean. Poverty -A spirit of detachment from the world and its possessions in which one knows and believes that all they need is Jesus.

With this definition in mind, a good Christian is always rich. For we would always have everything we need if we kept this spirit.

St. Paul says it best in Philippians 4:11-13

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength”

Let’s resolve then, to live this spirit of poverty no matter how rich or poor we may become after all God does have all the money in the world if you think about it.

If you do have money. Be a good steward of it! I once heard Someone say to their kid who left something out: “hey you’re blessed act like it.” Our lord gives all things good or bad to us because he trusts and believes in us to take care of what we’ve been given. We often don’t do what’s right and turn to sin. This is when “times get hard” but don’t despair! Christ will always give strength and provide for those who trust in him.