Call Me Judgmental...

I remember when I was about 7 years old, I saw the wreaths that the governor of N.C. had placed on the gates on the premises surrounding the mansion where the first family of the state traditionally lives. The wreaths were probably 10-15 feet in diameter and made almost entirely of fruit. At seven, this made no sense to me. I engaged my mom in a discussion about the ways that fruit could be put to better use, rather than just rotting as a decoration. It could feed hungry people, I'd told her. She didn't argue with me, but it's been an image-- one of confusion and disbelief-- that's stayed with me since.

And so, when I saw an article today on Yahoo detailing the big multi-billion (yes, billion NOT million) dollar mansions that people around the world own, my heart hurt. People really think they need a gold-plated pool, don't they? They really believe that a cinema inside is a necessity, don't they? They really find security in having a garage big enough for 20 cars, don't they?

So, I could digress here and talk about how we all place the weight of our souls on various things throughout our lives, how we are always saying: "If I can just have/get ________, then I will be happy. Then I will be satisfied." And we are, for a few minutes or a couple days, and then we long for the next distraction.

But that's not what disturbed me. What disturbed me was that while reading this article and growing nauseous over the things that these people poured money into, my mind went back to a missions trip I went on to Los Angeles and to the week I spent serving the urban poor here in Greensboro. How people lived underneath overpasses, all their worldly possessions around them on the bare earth. How tents and sleeping bags lined the sidewalks. How a meal or a conversation meant so much. How I finally understood what it meant to be blessed and simluataneously found that it had an entirely new meaning.

I don't want to sound judgmental. Because in the eyes of the rest of the world, I live lavishly.

1. If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of the people in the world.

2. If you can attend a church or synagogue meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

3. If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are more blessed than five hundred million people in the world.

4. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet and spare change in a dish, you are among the top eight percent of the world's wealthy.

5. If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.


With 80% of the world's population living on less than $1/day, it's hard to understand why George Lucas or anyone else needs a house with 50,000 sq. feet. I wish that we could "share the wealth," truly. So many problems stem originally from poverty and its affects. But that's for another post. I've ranted long enough.