We don’t get to decide to which family we are born into or the financial status of our parents. It happens like everything else, according to our Almighty Father’s plan. Have you ever questioned this plan? If yes, read on.
The First Incident – The Audi car
Today, on the way back from work, I happened to see a beautiful Audi A4 car (costs around 50 lakhs of Indian Rupees) on the road. The awesome appearance of this luxury car made me stand and look at it until it passed out of my sight. This raised many thoughts in my mind. When will I ever be able to buy such a luxurious car like that one? My brain immediately answered that question “No Georgy, you are never going to have that much money to buy that car and even if you earn that much someday, you will surely have a lot other priorities to be completed using that much money”.
This made me think about the owner of the car. Obviously he might be a very rich man, might be a very successful professional or it can be that his parents had lots of money. I mean, he might be born into a very wealthy family who have so much wealth in excess to spare for this luxurious car. This same thought made me look at my family, which is an average one. Even though both my parents were employed, I am sure they can never afford to buy me such luxuries of life. For a second I looked up at the heaven and told in my mind “God, if you had wished, then it would have been me sitting in that luxurious car. I could have lived with all the luxuries that life could provide me. But you chose not to!”. Day-dreaming about my never-to-happen Audi-drive, I moved ahead to the local railway station.
The Second Incident – The Popcorn Seller
After getting into the local train, I happened to see another person who completely made me feel how stupid I was. It was a 10 year old boy selling popcorn to all the train passengers. At each station, he would get down and go to the next compartment and continue his sale. He is doing this all day. I started to guess the condition back at his home.
The boy must be born to a very poor family whose parents are doing manual labor to earn daily bread for themselves and their children. They don’t earn enough to send their kids to school as primary education sounds like luxury to them considering their monthly income. The boy is helping his family for their livelihood. School and education is not possible for him and he will surely end up as a manual laborer just like his parents, unless some miracle happens.
This gave birth to another thought inside my head. “It could have been you in his place. But God chose not to! He gave you well employed parents who could give you very good education apart from all your basic needs. Leveraging on that, you were able to earn a good job in this highly competitive world which enables you to lead a normal happy life and which will also help you bring up your children in the best way possible.” This time, I looked up to the heavens and said THANK YOU LORD for the family I was born into, thank you Lord for my lovely parents who gave me the best of everything they possibly could, thank you Lord.
Be Thankful For Your Family Background
The very fact that you are reading this article on your computer, laptop, iPad or mobile handset is a proof that you are truly blessed than millions of others who live on the same planet, just like you and me. But its too common that we all never look down the ladder of life. Our eyes are only looking at greater things, greater comfort, greater luxuries just like the Audi car that caught my attention. It is not that we should never look at those who are more well placed in life or not try to improve our situation, be it our profession, be it our skills, be it any good thing that we have. On the contrary, we should be making the best use of all the gifts and resources God has provided us in this life and should try to continually improve ourselves, our skill-set, our job status, everything for HIS greater glory.
But please remember that we should never look up the ladder and complain about our present situation. We are very well up the ladder and we have so many brothers and sisters who are less fortunate than us, just like that popcorn seller boy. So while you try to improve yourselves and your present situation and comforts, while you try hard to be in your boss’s chair one day, all this time, please remember: you should never stop thanking our God for your present state of life which He has generously gifted you.
Thankfulness Calls For Action
I am afraid, being thankful alone won’t be enough. Your creator, Our almighty God definitely wants you to utilize all the gifts He has bestowed upon you including your education, your job, your skills, your money, your time, everything, for helping all those less fortunate ones around you. You have much more duties to perform for others. With more gifts, come more duties.
Try to help those who are really in need of your help. Don’t shoo away saying ‘What difference can I make to their lives?’. When you help a child get his forbidden education, you really do make a lot of difference in his life. So, where ever you are, take a look around. I am sure the Holy Spirit will show you hundreds of ways to help those needy ones around you and thereby express your gratefulness to the Lord in its fullness. God bless you all.
– – – written by Georgy N Joseph
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