The Blessing of Poverty

A Personal Viewpoint of a Commonly-Held Undesirable Condition

I was raised in poverty up until my high school years when my mother moved to her second nursing job in California.  At that time, my family entered the middle class of America.  A family of four, we were not rich by any means and had to still watch the out flow of money carefully, but we had more financial breathing room and could afford new clothes instead of Good Will or thrift store clothes, buying food staples instead of standing in lines at the government food banks for hours, finally avoiding the embarrassing use of food stamps, and not having to can our own fruits and vegetables to save on food costs.  My family finally purchased a plot of bare land and began saving to build on it.  Eventually, a home was built with minimal contracting and more and more monies could be directed into retirement savings.

I left home not too long after the bare land was purchased so I did not get to really enjoy those fruits of my parent's labors.  I went to college immediately after high school and spent the next eleven years struggling to earn my Bachelor of Science degree changing degrees several times along the way.  Working my way through college I took the minimal number of units at times to stay at full-time status, because I just didn't have the time to work and study, or really, I didn't have the energy.  During my college years I didn't have very much money either and eventually took out student loans to assist, a decision I regret.  

Eventually, I earned my degree and got a job in the tech industry.  At that point I went from a part-time working/earning student to a career salary.  It was the most money I had ever had access to, although I lived in a very expensive part of California, so my living expenses were high.  I still had some discretionary funds at my disposal and was able to budget my earnings in a very fun and manageable way.  This 'career' lasted less than two years before I completely burned out and was laid off (fired).  I went onto unemployment while I searched for another job which was not forthcoming as God knew I needed a rest.  So, with unemployment running out and my expenses still high I decided to go the the Czech Republic and teach English as a second language for about a year.  I had expenses that I could not easily get rid of, so a temporary job working at a hospital in the Information Systems department came out of the blue and I was able to earn all the money I needed in a few months time to continue paying my bills and go live in Prague with some extra money for any personal activities I might want to do while there.

Once in Prague I found I could not access my personal funds as there was some problem with the PIN on my account and nothing I could do could get the situation resolved.  So, I had to rely only on the stipend funds that were given each month by the school which was a self-supporting organization, basically not very much money.  Regardless, I had all I needed and even a little extra for some trips to castles and other countries round about.  This adventure in Prague was the rest I needed.  Teaching was not an easy task and there was a lot of preparation and stress dealing with students who didn't speak English well, but it was an excellent experience and restful in just the right ways.

After I returned to the U.S., I tried to look for work again, but found the market not very favorable and so I and a friend decided to start our own business.  During the years that followed our earnings never took us out of the poverty level according to the Federal Government's standards.  We were spending much of our time in investment development and trying to find a niche where we could provide value.  After many years we finally found the direction we wanted to go, but still remained in poverty.  I groaned under this condition as I had always dreamed and hoped to get out of poverty and have money to do things and have a home and amenities that can make life more pleasant.  It took me a long time to begin to realize that I had been blessed with poverty.

Poverty often comes with a mindset which I call, the poverty mindset.  This mindset tends to keep one in poverty and makes it difficult to think or plan or utilize resources to get oneself out of poverty.  The poverty mindset tends to make a person focus too much on money and how they don't have enough of it.  That if only there was more money then more could be done toward success and final financial prosperity.  This is a general deception.  A better way to look at money is as a means and a resource that can be invested.  As with all enterprises and endeavors, one must manage assets and liabilities to accomplish desired goals.  Money in is an asset.  Money out must be an investment.  Poverty is the perfect school to learn these simple formulas.  Combine poverty with the true Biblical teachings, counsels and admonitions and there is great potential for amazing character development.  Putting these things into practice and trusting in God who brings the increase one can actually live a rewarding life while still in poverty.

Here is an example of investment of money.  Let us say I am a computer programmer and I spend a lot of my time sitting at the computer.  As many know, being sedentary for long periods of time is harmful to the body and can begin to cause issues that can decrease one's production.  Purchasing a well crafted and expensive ergonomic chair would be a good investment that could return rewards over time in greater productivity and preserved health.  If I operate only on the poverty mindset, I will conclude that I cannot afford such a chair and therefore must just suffer my way through.  The better choice would be, I must have a better chair as it is a tool of my trade, and thus I will find a way to make that happen.  Sacrifice is a major part of making good investments.  Buying the chair may require the cutting out of some enjoyment expenses, but even people in poverty can find ways to cut.  To be fair there is such a thing as abject poverty where a person does not even have the basic essentials of life, but I have never been at that level.

In my experience poverty has been a blessing as it has been the life school that God has put me in to help me develop better understanding of resources and a better reliance on Him for every thing in my life.  I feel blessed and honored that God would permit me to struggle and prevail in this particular school.  Poverty for me is just another word for the concept of 'lean more fully upon God'.