Getting By

Over the Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend I heard someone say something that caught my attention.

This person is married and has no children living at home. This person has a spouse with a good paying job.

This person turned to another person and with all sincerity  said something like this:

When it’s all said and done, before benefits, I make about $102k per year. I’m able to get by on that.

Now I’m all for making as much money as you can within your field. And as long as you work hard, ethically, in a morally acceptable field, and steward your money well by giving to God through your local church; then count what you make a blessing and use your wealth to the glory of God.

But when millions are out of work, and the average household income for our area is around $50k per year, to say that you can “get by” (and mean it) on $102k is preposterous! I’d love for my household to “get by” on that kind of money! But I’m very grateful and honored with the amount that God has chosen to give us.

I’m not sure what my point is here, rather than, we need to be very grateful for what God provides us with. We need to be aware that what we have, often, is WAY more than what others have. We need to make sure that we don’t go around announcing, or even boasting about, our salaries; you may ruin someone’s day with that kind of information. We need to be faithful in trusting God with our resources by worshiping Him through sacrificial giving to our local church. And if our resources permit us to, which they certainly would with over $100k per year in Oregon, we need be sensitive to the needs of others far and near and be a blessing to them.

Because in the end, you can’t take it (your wealth) with you.