I was listening to Christian radio in the background this morning and barely caught a special announcement with the name Tony Evans and pray for everyone in the family... I thought, Oh no, someone has died. When I finally found the related information as I searched different places, I discovered it was one of his relatives that died, and discovered how many of his family are in the news. It took forever to find an article that even mentioned how she might have died (a possible heart attack), and when I checked back tonight there was a mention that she died in her sleep. The fact that she is dead at a young age is really a painful reminder of how fragile our lives, and dreams, and souls are. No matter how she died, she is gone, forever. Her family is gaining a large blessing at GoFundMe... I hope it helps.
I flipped through an online article of photos about the 25 richest people or families in America... many of the names I didn't know about, others were interesting because I discovered how things went with the generations that follow the ones that make the wealth they enjoy. There was one man who died without a will, so the kids went to court. I would think that a wealthy man would have a Will. Poor people don't have anything to fight over, and can't afford a lawyer, so Wills are not the main concern... surviving another day is the main concern. I think they were all billionaires, but I can't remember that detail. I mostly remember the family details. In this list the Walmart family was number one, with Alice Walton noted as the richest woman ever. I looked at the photos of her, and of pretty much all of the ones that showed the people mentioned, and wondered what life meant to her.
We think that money is the answer to every misery, when we don't have it. In my own quest for funds to build Working Together, I wonder what would happen to me when I built it. I also flipped through a photo article about all the people who were destroyed by winning lottery millions. I guess I don't see that happening to me because I have a purpose in life and the money would just let me reach my purpose. I guess it would be the "other" people who might mess up my plans. One man had a brother who hired a hit man to kill him so he could inherit the leftovers. Some went back to their real lives once the money was gone, others killed themselves because of the pain it caused their lives.
Money is not just a problem with the wealthy... I have seen that people will kill a person for their Social Security checks, or just because they THINK they have money in their purse or wallet. Usually drug addictions are involved in poverty crimes... I think they call them "poor on poor" crimes.
The Bible has the answer to this problem, too... I like the part where there is a "prayer" to not be rich or poor.... (I had to search for it, but I finally found it!)
[Proverbs 30:7-9 KJV]
https://www.blueletterbible.org/
7 Two [things] have I required of thee; deny me [them] not before I die:
8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
9 Lest I be full, and deny [thee], and say, Who [is] the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God [in vain].
I have always thought about this in my life, especially in the harder, homeless, poverty-related tragedies we faced. I don't know about the wealthy, but I see how their lives are affected by the money that makes their meaning in life... and the tragedies it causes them. Finding that place in the middle seems to be important.
The other part where the Bible warns about money is the need to choose between GOD and money...about the love of money being the root of all evil. (1 Titus 6:10 KJV)
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows
It will be interesting to see how this post publishes with these copy and paste efforts... :-) This must be at least one of the "things I learned today."
I haven't really decided yet how I feel about multi-million dollar properties... they are all quite different and yet the same sometimes... maybe it is the type of properties that become the same. I looked at expensive California properties after linking to an article about the Hearst history... Malibu, Venice, Santa Monica, downtown LA, and I don't remember where else. Then I discovered more at YouTube from a link... Oregon, Texas, Montana, and ??? (can't remember). I don't know how to value that kind of property financially, yet... so I don't know if the prices are reasonable or just a seller's dream. I did think, again, that it would be better to build my vision than to remodel these structures... kind of. The water and electricity and other things like that matter, but the housing is often not right for what I would want to use it for...
The bottom line is going to be how much GOD provides for the task. Once I know, then I can work out all these details. And if I die without getting there, it won't matter anyway.
It was a long day, and I need to end this post. I am still thinking about all these parts of life, and money, and death, and meaning, and GOD, and dreams.
Until next time,
In Christ,
Deborah Martin
work2gather.us
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May we find our way to the future with GOD as our strength and provider and guide.
Amen.
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