What Poverty Teaches Us

When one thinks about poor people, more times than not a feeling of pity floods the mind. How often have we seen the commercials on TV that present scores of poor children in some foreign country with sad eyes and swollen bellies, and been moved to send some money. Having so many of the creature comforts of life available to us, it is easy to feel guilty when we see the desperate plight of the poor of the world. If we are not careful, our good will can be seen as nothing more than a condescending handout.

According to the writer of Proverbs 19, there are a few things that we do well to learn from the poor. First, he says that poverty is not necessarily disassociated with good character. "Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool." (ESV) Integrity is one of those difficult words to define. Here, it means that poor people who are honest, who hold themselves to a sound moral standard, who do not let their poverty dictate their values are better than those who use crooked means to get what they want. Does this mean that the honest poor will have more? No, it does not if more means more earthly possessions. But he will possess something far greater in value. He will have a better standing before God.

A second thing that can be learned from the poor is genuine friendship. "Wealth brings many new friends, but a poor man is deserted by his friend." When we have friends because of who we are and not because of what we can do for them, we have true friends. It is those who stick by us in our poverty that are our true friends. Poverty is not always a lack of material things; it can be anything which we greatly lack. When our health fails, we have a poverty of health. When we loose a loved one or get divorced, this too is a poverty of sort. How we need our friends at these times, and it is our true friends that will come through for us.

Finally, we can learn the importance of sincerity. "What is desired in a man is steadfast love, and a poor man is better than a liar." It is far better to have the desire to help but not the means than it is to have the means to help but not the desire. In addition, the poor who desires to help but makes no promises has done better than the rich who promises to help but makes no effort. The latter is a liar.

Hold Your Peace

The other day I found myself embroiled in a political argument with someone half my age. Although I appreciated the spirit in which the debate took place, I found myself thinking, "Whatever happened to young people listening to their elders?" Certainly that was an archaic thought because freedom of expression has been the hallmark of the post-World War II generation. This is not without reason since the youth of our day have more exposure to information on a wider plan than did their grandparents or parents. Most of the information that we get nowadays though is in the form of sound bites and captions. Unless we are willing to diligently research the sound bites we are hearing and the captions we are reading, we may find ourselves at a great disadvantage when discussing issues. Formulating views without digging into the issues for yourself will lead to shallow understanding and potential manipulation.

It is wise counsel for all of us to practice being swift to hear and slow to speak. Those who have many years behind them have experiences and knowledge that are still very valuable. The older one gets the better able he/she is to see the past and make assessment of it. History is still the best teacher if we will learn from its pages. I think this is what the Sage had in mind at the end of Proverbs 17. He says, "He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit. Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding."

As I reflect upon these verses, I can see that though I may have knowledge and experience in a certain area, it is better to be invited to share than to interject without invitation. Just because a conversation or subject is being tossed about, that does not mean that I have to try to catch it. It may be better to let it drop. If I do get an invitation to interject, what is said should be to the point. The wise person will not be drawn into debates with those whose minds are already made up.