Defining Wealth

How much money would it take, for you to call yourself "rich"? Websters dictionary defines wealth as, "Having an abundance of material possessions or an abundant amount of valuable resources". When I looked up "abundance", It defines it as "A plentiful supply".

This, to me can mean so many things. It takes so much more, then having a steady flow of cash to make one "rich".

Having tons of money is a desire of so many people. But here's the thing...ANYONE can become "rich".....it's what you do BEFORE, DURING and AFTER the money that makes one truly "wealthy". When one is wealthy, it means their riches have meaning. If you make it all about the money, it doesn't really mean much.

When I got to thinking about an "abundance of...", all I could think of was my family. My children make me feel like the richest woman in the world. Their love for me, reaches to infinity, as does my love for them. My "plentiful supply" is that of love. And I feel true wealth, starts right there.

The money will come, or it won't, but riches begin with positive thoughts. With positive thoughts comes positive actions. The money will not just fall from the sky and land in your lap. You have put your thoughts into action and go after it. Offer something of worth to the world. If all you are thinking is how you will never achieve riches, that's exactly what will happen.

Money has been a sore subject in my life. There was never enough, and I have always had to scrape by. I remember when I was 8 yrs old, going grocery shopping and hiding in the aisle as my mom paid for our food with food stamps. I'm not sure who I was hiding from, but I remember how I felt. Not having enough, doesn't feel good, it leave us stressed and worried, which can bring on a whole new set of problems. Money should not be something that enslaves you...It's nice to have, but should never define who you are.

Did you know that the bible has more verses that talk about money, than it does about salvation? God wants us to be wealthy, He wants us to be happy. But measuring your wealth, by the things you own, however not only deceives others.....it can deceive yourself.

Here is a story I found, that touches the true meaning of wealth and riches. I hope you enjoy.

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, 'How was the trip?'

'It was great, Dad.'

'Did you see how poor people live?' the father asked.

'Oh yeah,' said the son.

'So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?' asked the father .

The son answered:

'I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.'

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, 'Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.'

via Scott Williams