Think on These Things

Shortly before his death in 2005, American Economist Robert Heilbroner suggested a little mental exercise that reminds me to count my blessings. He wrote:

Imagine doing the following, and you will see how daily life is for as many as a billion people in the world.

1. Take out all the furniture from your home except one table and two chairs. Use blanket and pads for beds.
2. Take away all of your clothing except for your oldest dress or suit, shirt, or blouse. Leave only one pair of shoes.
3. Empty the pantry and the refrigerator except for a small bag of flour, some sugar and salt, a few potatoes, some onions, and a dish of dried beans.
4. Dismantle the bathroom, shut off the running water, and remove all of the electrical wirings in your house.
5. Take away the house itself and move the family into the tool shed.
6. Place your “house” in a shantytown.
7. Cancel all subscriptions to newspapers, magazines, and book clubs. This is no great loss because now none of you can read anyway.
8. Leave only one radio for the whole shantytown.
9. Move the nearest hospital or clinic ten miles away and put a midwife in charge instead of a doctor.
10. Throw away your bankbooks, stock certificates, pension plans, and insurance policies. Leave the family a cash hoard of ten dollars.
11. Give the head of the family a few acres to cultivate on which he can raise a few hundred dollars of cash crops, of which one-third will go to the landlord and one-tenth to the money lenders.
12. Lop off twenty-five or more years in life expectancy.

Whenever I read this, I feel gratitude, and at the same time, a little ill at ease. By comparison, I have so much! I am reminded that our scriptures are very clear: With our wealth comes the responsibility to use it wisely, not to be wasteful, and to help others.

Jesus once said, “To those whom much is given, much will be required.” (Luke 12:48)

In the book of Genesis, God says to Abraham, our father in the faith, “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great so that you will be a blessing..” (Genesis 12:2)

Today, let us think on these things.

Let us pray: Loving God, you have blessed us so richly. Help us to find deeper meaning and purpose in our lives by helping others. Meet us wherever we are on the journey of life this day – bring us healing and empower us to grow. Amen.