Sometimes when the Holy Spirit tugs, you need to listen, you know? This week it brought an article in The Washington Post to my attention. The first line of the article, in which I have paraphrased as this week’s title, hooked me in. It’s quite a lengthy read for the internet, but well, well worth your time. Here’s the link.
The article goes into detail the problems that people who are in poverty face and into the harsh irony that living in the middle class or upper class is actually cheaper than living below the poverty line. Essentially, “the poorer you are, the more things cost. More in money, time, hassle, exhaustion, menace.”
Truth be told, I hadn’t really sat down and considered the ramifications of being poor. I’ve been raised middle class for my whole life, and when there were times that I was stuck in a jam, I always had people and family who helped me out. I’ve been so lucky to have discretionary income for most of my life. So, when I read about someone like Harrison Blakeney who pays a 10% fee to a check-cashing store to ensure his telephone bill arrives on time because he doesn’t have the money ahead of time to mail out the bill, it’s hard for me to understand and relate to Mr. Blakeney and his life. Sure, when I was out of college and lived in an apartment on a part-time job, I fretted about bills and figuring out how to pay everything on time, but things fortunately worked out for me. I never had to go without clothes, shelter, food or heat.
In being blessed in my life, I often forget about others who aren’t as blessed. Unfortunately, I need articles like the Post to remind me. I’d wager it’s true for most people. Out of sight, out of mind. That’s why I think God continually reminds us in the bible that He is the God of the widow, the alien, and the fatherless (see Deuteronomy 24:19, Psalm 68:5, Jeremiah 7:5, and James 1:27 just for a few examples). Whatever your opinion of what the root of the socio-economic problem of poverty is, it doesn’t change the fact that we cannot and should not forget about people like Mr. Blakeney because God never forgets about them. Matthew 25:40, “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'”
May God always show us how we can help and heal the hurting.
– Matt
DeuteronomyJamesJeremiahMatthewmiddle classpoorpovertyPsalmrich
You Need to Be Rich to Be Poor
May 28, 2009
Calvary
Comments Off on You Need to Be Rich to Be Poor
Matt
Sometimes when the Holy Spirit tugs, you need to listen, you know? This week it brought an article in The Washington Post to my attention. The first line of the article, in which I have paraphrased as this week’s title, hooked me in. It’s quite a lengthy read for the internet, but well, well worth your time. Here’s the link.
The article goes into detail the problems that people who are in poverty face and into the harsh irony that living in the middle class or upper class is actually cheaper than living below the poverty line. Essentially, “the poorer you are, the more things cost. More in money, time, hassle, exhaustion, menace.”
Truth be told, I hadn’t really sat down and considered the ramifications of being poor. I’ve been raised middle class for my whole life, and when there were times that I was stuck in a jam, I always had people and family who helped me out. I’ve been so lucky to have discretionary income for most of my life. So, when I read about someone like Harrison Blakeney who pays a 10% fee to a check-cashing store to ensure his telephone bill arrives on time because he doesn’t have the money ahead of time to mail out the bill, it’s hard for me to understand and relate to Mr. Blakeney and his life. Sure, when I was out of college and lived in an apartment on a part-time job, I fretted about bills and figuring out how to pay everything on time, but things fortunately worked out for me. I never had to go without clothes, shelter, food or heat.
In being blessed in my life, I often forget about others who aren’t as blessed. Unfortunately, I need articles like the Post to remind me. I’d wager it’s true for most people. Out of sight, out of mind. That’s why I think God continually reminds us in the bible that He is the God of the widow, the alien, and the fatherless (see Deuteronomy 24:19, Psalm 68:5, Jeremiah 7:5, and James 1:27 just for a few examples). Whatever your opinion of what the root of the socio-economic problem of poverty is, it doesn’t change the fact that we cannot and should not forget about people like Mr. Blakeney because God never forgets about them. Matthew 25:40, “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'”
May God always show us how we can help and heal the hurting.
– Matt
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DeuteronomyJamesJeremiahMatthewmiddle classpoorpovertyPsalmrich