“Being Rich and Poor is All a State of Mind”-Miss.Jenee
You ever wonder why kids that are in the “hood” are always so happy. They are always the one at church or school that are smiling everyday, playing outside all day and just overall. Don’t get me wrong, there are other situations going on in the “hood” but most of the time the kids and their parents are HAPPY. They may not have a lot of money. But they always have huge parties etc.
These are the qualities that us “regular” people need to learn from those in the hood!
I will never forget I had a friend who taught me how to play a game with just a ball. I questioned her at first and she said, well how is it you and your friends had so much fun with this yet I was crying to my mom about getting me a new Barbie and I had 30 already. She said “It’s because I didn’t “Know” any better, growing up, we didn’t have much and neither did my friends so we deemed this game normal”
I wish that I had understood to live my life like her years ago. Growing up in a family where what you wore, if you graduated college, who your friends were was the focus on “success” I was concerned more about material wealth. Don’t get me wrong, my family wasn’t rich nor did they instill in me to be “spoiled” but they worked hard to gain the riches of the world.
The huge difference is, my family worked hard to gain the riches of the world while my friends family worked little and gained more peace of mind. Do you know that time means MORE to a child than money. All of the things my father bought me every birthday and Christmas or throughout the year never mattered if he wasn’t there @ my birthday party. I will never forget that my dad missed so many things in my life because he felt he “had” to work to keep up with the lifestyle we lived. This was not peace of mind, he worked so hard that life often passed him by. There is nothing like true happiness in the world.
We as a society have been taught that the harder we work the more money we will get and the better we will be seen. Even the bible in Deuteronomy 8:11-16 says:
11-16 Make sure you don’t forget God, your God, by not keeping his commandments, his rules and regulations that I command you today. Make sure that when you eat and are satisfied, build pleasant houses and settle in, see your herds and flocks flourish and more and more money come in, watch your standard of living going up and up—make sure you don’t become so full of yourself and your things that you forget God, your God,
I am reminded of an example from my own life, before I got laid off, I was not happy. Seriously between my living situation, my relationship status and my job being VERY STRESSFUL I wasn’t happy. But now I have a true happiness. Even though I don’t have a boyfriend, or a job , I am happy. And for that Lord, I am so grateful!
