Psalm 49:16-19
So don’t be impressed with those who get rich
and pile up fame and fortune.
They can’t take it with them;
fame and fortune all get left behind.
Just when they think they’ve arrived
and folks praise them because they’ve made good,
They enter the family burial plot
where they’ll never see sunshine again.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Two or three times a year, I visit the cemeteries in our area to set out flowers on the graves of loved ones. Most of the time, I end up walking around and reading markers…thinking of those buried there and remembering how I know them. Cemeteries are the ultimate “equalizers”. My husband’s parents and brother are buried in a “memorial garden,” where all of the monuments are uniform…a slab of granite or marble with a brass plaque – and an optional urn for flowers.
At the city cemetery where my maternal grandparents and other family members are buried, the markers are all sizes, shapes, and colors. And at the cemetery where my parents, brother, and others are laid to rest, there is an almost-eclectic collection of markers, stones, “yard art,” benches, and more. Still, you cannot truly tell who was “rich” in life – and who was dirt poor. Leaders, pastors, doctors, attorneys, teachers, and business executives are buried right next to common laborers, orphans – and at our “family cemetery” – at least one slave. And God loved each one of these people beyond measure.
I know people who are content with what they have…and people who are always wanting something new, bigger, and better. I know people who appear to have it all – and they are so deep in debt it is uncanny. I know others who struggle to make it to the next paycheck, and they are happy and blessed to be able to live as well as they do. I know “rich” people who donate to every cause, have items and buildings named after them, and constantly support this cause or that one – and this is great! But I know others who struggle to put a coin in the plate on Sunday morning, make a great sacrifice to support a local fundraiser, and truly struggle to manage for their children to halfway “keep up with the neighbors”. And God loves ALL of these people.
It took me many years to understand what truly makes a person “rich.” I don’t disparage or wish ill on those who seem to have an abundance. But I don’t have any disdain for those who barely get by, either. Their “wealth” in God’s eyes is not measured in terms of dollars and cents – or possessions and acquisitions. And we should not judge them accordingly, either. None of this matters when we are laid to rest in the cemetery – and it shouldn’t matter now!
Stop judging others – in any manner. Stop putting people into categories…rich/poor, entitled/unworthy, superior/inferior, and more. Start seeing others as God sees them…precious, beloved – and heirs to His Kingdom. Don’t put on airs…but don’t disparage those who do, either. Simply love one another and treat each person as you wish to be treated. Live in a way that others don’t have a clue whether you are a billionaire or a pauper…and they don’t care! Speak and act in a way that demonstrates God’s love for all of us – and our collective “riches” as His children. Alleluia!
©2024 Debbie Robus