Absolutely!! You are probably thinking, “Wow, Christy!” ; but let me explain. If you know me you know I love nice things and am slightly bougie but I am far from rich when it comes to the standards of the U.S. I will be the first to admit that the struggle is real - looking at your neighbor’s or friends especially in this age of social media and thinking…….if only I had that relationship, car, house, spouse……then I would be happy! I am calling us all out today and saying - Blasphemy (which means profane talk in my book). Don’t get me wrong - it is perfectly fine to want/have nice things as long as those things don’t have you!
I had all of the kids over for dinner last night and as they were finishing up with the meal, I walked into the kitchen to make the whipped topping for the homemade strawberry shortcake. I was wrapping it up when I heard them talking about the “good old days” and the memories they had growing up in what they would consider their childhood home (which means the house we lived in the longest) in Chesapeake. They were talking about having to share one bath between the five of us and having only 3 bedrooms and no real “master”. My mom reminded me of Chelsie’s 16th birthday party there - and how a relative that would give us clothes from time to time gave me a hand me down skirt that I had no idea was a skirt until I wore it as a dress at the party she was attending. As they were reminiscing I began thinking about all of the “rich” memories they have from a house that had a huge S made out of stone on the old brick home in a neighborhood where the house values are still around $200K. Our lives were rich - not because of our social status but because we had each other and we had relationships that meant the world to us. We didn’t take elaborate vacations - in fact - most vacations were trips that Bill’s father paid for or a trip to Florida to stay in my Uncle’s trailer on his property. You see my friend - rich isn’t a social status - it’s a heart condition. I pray that you are always “rich” in the Father’s love, family relationships and friendships. Relationships are so important to the Father that it’s the only thing we are allowed to take with us when it is our time to leave this earth. My challenge to us all - LIVE RICH!!