Scripture Prompt

What my Grandad Taught me About Being Rich

And the traps we fall into

The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others. Their own feet have been caught in the trap they set. The Lord is known for justice. The wicked are trapped by their own deeds. (Psalm 9:15–16, NLT)

Things are getting expensive, aren’t they? I’ve found that I have to go without some things I used to buy at the grocery store — the little treats or the specialty items that are not necessary for survival but things I wanted.

I often feel that life is unfair when I have to pass them by. Like a child, I think, “I’ve been a good girl. I deserve this.”

Reflecting on where this selfish way of thinking comes from, I realize I’m not thinking as a child of God at that moment but as someone who has fallen into a commercial trap. What sparked those selfish thoughts?

A new lifestyle

When my husband retired, he had a good pension from working for the same company. We weren’t rich, but we had what we needed with some to spare for simple pleasures like a day trip, a celebratory dinner in a nice restaurant, or a donation to a worthy cause.

Now, we find that monthly income doesn’t stretch as far, and we must be careful of extraneous spending. But I need to keep in mind that I still have riches.

As my grandad said in his later years:

“We don’t have much, but we have more than most.”

He and my grandma were living on government assistance at the time. But he didn’t compare his life to those around him who had bigger houses and fancy cars and vacationed in Majorca. He saw the people on the news who were displaced by war or homeless because of natural disasters.

He had the love of his family, a roof over his head and fish and chips every Friday. He considered himself rich in blessings. And always found a few pennies to treat his grandkids to a bag of sweeties.

Now it’s my turn

Will I be remembered as an older woman who groaned about not having money for fancy restaurants and two cars in the garage, or will I be the one who sets an example to my grandkids that it’s ok not to have all the things the television and social media tells us we should have?

Will I fall into the trap I’ve allowed around me or follow my grandad’s example and the God he trusted in for all his needs?

Lord, help me to choose the best — the path you have for me and your provisions to help me walk it well and not stumble.