Prosperity
“Prosperity
is not without many fears and distastes; adversity, not without
comforts and hopes.”
Francis
Bacon
This
time of year, when we're trying to manage gift-giving without
breaking the bank, let's consider the polarities of prosperity and
adversity. It is our human tendency to consider the one “good”
and the other “bad.” But are they? I want to hypothesize that
adversity is better than we make it out to be.
Most of us want to give good things to our loved ones, and sometimes
we spend more than we should. It feels good in the moment, but
handicaps us in the early months of the new year. We go from relative
prosperity to relative adversity by our own hand. That adversity
forces us to get creative in how we manage our finances and, thus,
our lives. When I'm wrestling with finances, my fall-back position is
eating out of the freezer and the pantry. I do recognize my advantage
in having a freezer and pantry, but still, it's surprising what you
can do with half a box of pasta, frozen peas, garlic and butter. And,
I've discovered that if I don't get in the car and drive to a store,
I spend less money!
Horace
is quoted as saying, “Adversity reveals genius; prosperity conceals
it.” When we're lean and hungry, we apply our cerebral cortex to
solving the problem. I don't mean to be glib. I know there is real
and true hardship and terrible need in this world. I remember stories
just last summer about children eating grass in the Syrian war zone
simply because there was no food. I don't make light of true poverty,
believe me. But even in dire straights, people get creative.
Prosperity,
on the other hand, makes us lazy, and all too often, greedy. We worry
about what we have and how to keep it. We fear losing our elite
status, and devise means to protect it. Here's a quote from Dwight L.
Moody: “We can stand affliction better than we can prosperity, for
in prosperity, we forget God.” In adversity, we pray—a lot.
The ancient Greek, one word for prosperity is “euodoo” and means, “to have a
successful journey through life.” In Hebrew, the word is “Shalom,”
which means, “completeness, safety, health, soundness and
contentment.” In Proverbs, the writer asks for balance between
being “rich” and being “poor” since in being rich one might
neglect God, and in being poor one might steal, and thus offend God.
“Give me my own daily bread.” Prosperity, then, is simply having enough
for today, and sharing whatever you have.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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