We often refer to people with words like poor or rich. To define their financial status. As if it were part of their personalities.
But wealth comes and goes, that's why it's called cash flow.
It's not enough to be monetarily rich, we can't take it with us so how can it be all that important? We ought to be more concerned with spiritual wealth and poverty.
When we are spiritually rich we overflow with kindness, compassion, love and understanding. And we feel those qualities flow from us without force, it comes naturally.
We are the result of our thoughts, actions and decisions positive or negative and though we may not be as spiritually rich we may change that at any time.
Christ stands as our example and His spiritual wealth is something we can partake of and embody.
One of the biggest stumbling blocks is judging. I was judged so often by others because my dad was a smoker and schizophrenic. Or because I was always the new kid moving from one school to the next nearly every year. And because I was thin. Or because I wasn't a good enough Mormon.
My response, my reaction was to be equally judgmental to the hyper judgmental, the narrow minded and the more orthodox of any religion.
This left me as spiritually poor as those I retaliated against. Because the anger, the hate and the judgment I felt drained all positive energy from me and others.
It really wasn't until I met my wife and removed the negative people from my life that I really hit my stride of positive energy and spiritual wealth and development.
Listening to others, lending a hand, being there for those around you with all the spiritual bounty life has to offer means being empathetic, being there for others and exuding compassion, love, and understanding and also forgiveness.
When we give of our spiritual substance we give something much more valuable than money. Money does not extend past this life.
What we take with us from this world to the next is our memories and the bonds of family and friendship. So when we give of the substance of our hearts we give something that can carry over from this world to eternity. What we give can affect the outcome of where others wind up on the otherside either positively or negatively.
Just as Christs example has lead many to the light our examples can do the same. And I find that the more we give of the substance of our hearts the more our spiritual wealth grows.