There was a very rich man who wanted to give his children a normal childhood. So rather than sending them to a fancy private school, he sent them to the local public school instead. On the first day of school, he spoke to his son and said, “Remember, Harold. If anyone asks about your family, tell them that we’re poor.” Harold agreed that he would.
That morning, the teacher asked the children to introduce themselves. Harold stood up and said, “I’m Harold and I’m poor. My mother is poor. My father is poor. My whole family is poor. Even our butler and all the maids are poor.” Haha.
I grew up below what the government called the poverty line, so I had dreams of wealth. Once or twice I remember wondering what I’d do with money, if I got some. Maybe buy something ridiculous, just to show off my extravagant wealth. It seems others had the same thoughts. For a mere 2 million US dollars, you can purchase a roll of gold toilet paper. I kid you not. Want to impress your friends? Offer them a slice of cheese from a wheel of imported Italian cheese for a mere $3,000. If cheese isn’t your thing, how about a suit of battle armor for your cat? This will only set you back 600 dollars. “You cat to be kitten me, Phil.” I wish I was.
Then there’s a 7-pound Swiss Army Knife boasting 87 foldable implements. Into Star Wars? How about a life-sized Stormtrooper figurine for $7000. Or some caviar for a mere $40,000 dollars per kilo. Spread it on a hamburger grown from stem cells in a Laboratory. How much? $332,000. Chase it all down with some Iceland glacier water mixed with gold dust at $60,000 a bottle. What a deal!
In my book Making Life Rich Without Any Money, I talk about how the abundance of money can bring misery and stinginess. At the same time, when we acknowledge the source of every good gift, gratitude and generosity follow. Money becomes a servant, not a master. When John Jacob Astor IV boarded the Titanic, he had enough money in his bank account to build 30 Titanics. However, when faced with mortal danger, he chose what he deemed morally right and gave up his spot in a lifeboat to save two frightened children.
Isidor Straus, co-owner of Macy’s, the largest American chain of department stores, was also on the Titanic. He said: “I will never enter a lifeboat before other men.” His wife, Ida Straus, also refused to board the lifeboat, giving her spot to her newly appointed maid, Ellen Bird, before spending her last moments with her husband. These wealthy individuals willingly chose to part with their wealth, even their lives, so that others would be saved.
Reminds me of another story. The story of what Jesus gave up for me. In 2 Corinthians 8:9 (ESV), Paul, who once persecuted Christians, writes,
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”
And this is from Philippians 2:6-7 (NIV). [Jesus], being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant.
He gave up everything to save us, and he set an example for us. Teaching us to use every advantage that we possess for the good of others. Are there ways in which you have been blessed today? Pass those blessings along to others. Maybe I’ll get a wheel of that Italian cheese and share it. Sounds like a gouda idea.
