A wealthy woman … that’s me.
I have just received my ‘tax-ready notice’ from our government. The number is not big but that’s good because with the low-income offset, a few tax-deductible receipts and a number of work-related expenses, I should get quite a nice refund.
But all that is irrelevant to my status as a wealthy woman.
Stereotypes
An Asian friend once told me that Westerners are poor in terms of relationships, though materially rich. I could feel my hackles rising. (I’m don’t actually have hackles, but something fiery rose in my spirit.) I clenched my fists. My pride was bruised.
“That is a stereotype,” I retorted. “We value individualism, yes, but we are NOT relationally poor.”
After watching a news report this week about a tragedy of a woman not so different to myself, however, I wondered if perhaps my friend had a point.
A tragedy
It was a tragedy. A disgrace. A crime. Guilty by neglect … though who or what institution is guilty is not yet clear.
Ann was a single woman just a couple of years older than me. And a lot wealthier … if you define ‘wealth’ by one’s possessions or the balance of one’s bank account. She had gold hair clips custom made for her. Shopping for gold jewellery constituted a pleasant afternoon’s outing. She lived in a fancy house in a posh suburb.
She had a disability.
And she was alone.
The last year or more of her life was spent stuck in a cane chair in her living room. Literally.
Her paid carer came and went. Her gold jewellery and a couple of fridges also went who knows where. Her car was used and fines incurred. Her neighbours minded their own business.
Eventually she died.
Poverty … absolutely destitute in terms of relationships was Ann, despite her financial security.
A pandemic
This pandemic has highlighted the gap between those who have homes in which to isolate and those who don’t. The virus rips through communities in developing countries where personal space, running water and indoor bathrooms are a luxury.
And yet in such places, you are unlikely to find vulnerable people living alone, sitting in solitude, their neighbours unaware of their plight.
Now don’t think that I am romanticising material poverty. I am profoundly grateful for my home. I am very fortunate not to stress about paying for the necessities of life. I appreciate the privilege of being able to isolate at home and reduce the risk of getting or passing on the virus.
I am one of the lucky ones.
But material wealth is not all there is to life.
Kingdom culture
Two millennia ago, Jesus had a lot to say about wealth. Material possessions don’t feature prominently in his definition of ‘wealthy’.
Parables about people selling everything they have to purchase one precious thing – a pearl or a piece of land – spring to mind.
Jesus spoke of a rich fool who built silos and stored grain but died just like anybody else.
Lazarus and the rich man ended up in quite different places despite their vastly different social and financial statuses on earth.
I think sadly of the rich young ruler who wanted to join the band of Jesus’ followers, but couldn’t bring himself to sell all he had and give it to the poor. He left, dejected.
Jesus taught that his community of followers was not just ‘like’ family but actually was family. The early church lived accordingly.
Wealth
According to Jesus’ teaching, I am a wealthy woman. I have treasure in heaven and I have community on earth. On top of all that, I have a roof over my head and food in my fridge.
What’s more, I can spatially (and, thank God, not socially) distance myself from others. I will likely come through this pandemic physically unscathed by the virus.
May I use well all that God has entrusted to me.