Rich Girl

Sometimes I play this game with myself. What would I do, how would I live if I was wealthy? I know that I'm not the only one who does this. I would guess that we all do. And if we don't maybe we should.

Like the majority of Americans, the last several years have been financially stressful for me. I have not had much of a discretionary income. I have felt very constrained by my finances. Like the rest of the world, I've been happy just to have my bills paid, forget about extra fun money.

And to relieve the stress I've sat at home wondering what I would do if I suddenly had more money than I would know what to do with. Oh, I have imagined grand plans for myself, mostly involving international travel. I would go live in France for a while and learn French. I would take flying lessons and become a pilot, just because I could. I would hire a maid and a cook. I've picked out a luxury car and a luxury lifestyle. I would set up trust funds and endow charities. I would, I would, I would. You get the picture. You probably have your own list of woulds.

But one day as I was going over my dream list of woulds I realized something important. Possessing these things would not make my life any better that it is right now. None of these things can make me happier or more content than I am already. I realized that I am already rich. Lately I have learned to make a habit of counting my blessings, of looking for the good in the midst of the difficult and in the process have discovered how blessed I am. For the first time in a long time I am content with my life and learning to be content with my life has increased the balance in my life bank account. My life isn't perfect, it isn't always easy, but it is good. All of my needs are met. I have a roof over my head. I never go to bed hungry. I have a job I enjoy (not easy to find by the way), and a closet full of clothes I love.

I am able to notice and appreciate the beauty that surrounds me every day. I enjoy a morning sunrise, the dew on the fields, neat little pinwheels of hay sitting in the pastures. I see the beauty in an afternoon rainstorm, and in my relationships. I am blessed with more than my fair share of good friends, the laughter and joy of family, sisters who encourage me and make me laugh when life is tough. For some reason I have a very large group of people who love me. I've heard it said that you are blessed if you have one or two people who you can call a good friend. I have much more than that, much more than I deserve. There is nothing that could be added to my life to make it any richer or fuller than it is already.

And even though I am driving around in a car with an air conditioner that doesn't work in the middle of a Texas summer I am still rich. Because I could be living through an African summer, walking miles to collect water from the nearest well. I live in a country where I don't have to worry about a bomb exploding near my house or gunfire claiming my loved ones in the streets. I live in a place where everything I need is readily available.

I may not be able to afford everything I want but I have more than I need. God has been good to me. I may not be wealthy in terms of money, but I am rich in the things that really matter. I am rich with things that money cannot buy. I am blessed. And so are you.

A Port in the Storm

My parents never allowed me to cultivate fear. As a child I can still remember my mom dragging me on roller coasters with her, telling me how much fun the ride was going to be, ignoring my small protests to the contrary. And guess what? She was right and today I love roller coasters! In fact, I ventured beyond mere roller coaster riding to sky-diving with my sisters.

I remember as a young child discussing storms with kids my own age. Most of my friends expressed some fear, if not just dislike for thunderstorms. I can understand why. Thunderstorms are loud and can be a bit scary for a young child. But I learned to love storms. In my house when a thunderstorm began, my dad and I would sit and watch them together. You could find us out in the living room, me on his lap in the rocking chair, facing the big picture windows in the dark, watching the storms roll in. We would watch the lightning flash, count the seconds between the thunder booms and listen to the rain beat against the windows. I was fortunate to have a dad who spent a lot of time with me, but these were some of my favorite of our times together. I loved sitting there in his lap, watching the chaos outside. I loved knowing that I was safe there, and no matter what raged around us outside, I had no reason to fear. I loved falling asleep there as the storm howled on. I waited for the next storm eagerly.

Here is what I have realized. God is just like that! He is our Daddy God, who loves to hold us during the storms of our lives. Because of my experience with my dad, I have no problem and no inhibition going to my Father God during a storm, crawling up in His lap and expecting to be safe. I just assume, I just know that He doesn't mind.

Sometimes I can be a bit like Peter when the storm comes. I begin to look around me and start to panic! I start to wonder where God is in my life, I question whether He is there and if I might drown in my difficulties. I start sinking, because I am focused on the storm when I should be focused on my God. How we respond to a storm makes all the difference. Do we allow the waves to scare us? Or do we look at the storm and run to our Father's lap where it is safe?

Here is the thing. In all the times of watching storms with my dad, not once did they disappear just because I was with my dad, safe and secure in his arms. The storm still raged on and had to finish it's cycle. But I had no fear. Our life storms don't go away just because we run to God. We still have to go through the cycle of the storm. But, we can go through the storm with God at our side, safe and secure in the knowledge that He is with us and will not let the storm destroy us or we can focus on the rain and the wind, the waves and the thunder and go under.

I am learning to anticipate the storms of life. No, they are not pleasant, but they give me reason to sit in my Father's lap. They give me a reason to practice trust and peace. Jesus spoke peace to the storm and He also said that He has given us peace beyond understanding. So, I'm thinking it is safe to be in a storm with Him. I might even learn to enjoy the thunder and lightning. I might even learn how to rest right in the middle of the chaos. Jesus did.