Are we better off today than our counterparts three or four generations ago? We live in big fancy houses or apartments with designer kitchens and state of the art creature comforts in our bathrooms and bedrooms. Yet how much of home cooked meals are we preparing and how many sit down meals are we sharing as a family?
They had no fancy gadgets and rooms were shared by many siblings. Everyone had duties and everything had to be shared and kept orderly. Everyone knew who was boss and learnt quickly not to push the boundaries. Privacy wasn’t shutting yourself in your room for hours – you had no private space. Yet, if one had a nightmare or a fever at night, a quick hand was there to soothe and comfort.
We have so many rooms but not enough children. We use the excuse of ‘giving them a better life’ but how can it be better if there is nobody to share it with? Have you not heard the lament of a single child? Oh, how he wishes he had more siblings to share the thrills and spills of life.
Are we richer or poorer today? We have so much material possessions; we discard them all too soon. They had so little but they stretched everything to the max – there was no shame in wearing second and third hand-me-downs. We are dissatisfied and disgruntled- take a closer look at the people in the shopping malls. They shared an orange and treasured the candy they received occasionally, eating it with such gratitude. Look at the tossed fruit in the school garbage bin nowadays – so sad that these children abuse what is good for them!
Do we laugh with others or laugh at them? Do we look for every opportunity to spread negative stories through social media? Do we go that extra mile to lend a helping hand, just for the sake of it, no strings attached?
We may be materially rich but are we suffering from emotional poverty? Are we richer or poorer today than those gone before us not even a century ago? Proverbs 10:28 (NIV) says, “The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of wicked come to nothing.” We have one life to live and we need to ask ourselves this question – how are we living this life we have been given? Romans 14:17 (GNT) says, “God’s kingdom does not consist of what a person eats or drinks. Rather, God’s kingdom consists of God’s approval and peace, as well as the joy that the Holy Spirit gives.” Remember, true joy comes from deep within!
Linda Pearl
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