According to the Global Rich List, if you make 25,000$ a year or more you are in the top ten percent of the world's richest people.
That is a powerful statement. It's easy to forget the difference between a need and a want in a nation where you can seemingly have anything. Did you ever say, "Mom, I NEED new clothes for school?"
It's easy to forget that you are rich when you compare yourself to celebrities in this country. TV allows us to see inside the most luxurious homes in the world.
It's easy to overlook the fact that (many of) our "poor" in America have shelter, clothing, food, hot showers, television, phones, transportation, toilet paper, access to medicine, education, internet access, etc. Some of our so-called poor are not in the same state of poverty as others are in this world.
Some days it's easy for me to have a bad attitude because of all the things I don't have. That's when I need some perspective.
The rich list helps me remember how much I really have in this life. It helps me to realize that I am rich and that I should have a grateful attitude instead of a sour one.
When I traveled to Nicaragua for a medical mission trip I gained perspective on how much I have. People walked miles and waited in the heat all day just to see a doctor. These same people walked in the dirt without shoes, didn't get to take many showers (let alone hot ones), and had to work very hard to feed their families. Many of them had grateful attitudes that their child was getting to see a doctor for the first time ever. They were grateful to have something treated that took only 5 minutes (and cheap pills) to fix, but would have taken the life of their child if gone untreated.
They also showed me it's possible to be joyful in a situation where you don't have all your NEEDS met.
On this Gratituesday I realize that I'm rich, and my attitude and actions (giving to others) should reflect that. Are you rich?
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Please join my other friends for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!
Having had the opportunity to travel a little bit I've seen the conditions of those not on the "rich list." It makes me that much more grateful and willing to "sacrifice" for those who don't have the basics to just survive.
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