Four if not more
November 25, 2001 | 12:00am
"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful!" - 1 Colossians 3:15
When Sidney Correll was riding in a third-class coach in India, his frame was wedged into a seat on a wooden bench. It was bedlam inside the over-crowded train. Children were crying. It was hot and humid. Two women, each holding a baby, began fighting and yelling at one another. Suddenly, a well-dressed man sitting next to him "reached down and, after grabbing each one by the hair, knocked their heads together".
Correll was uncomfortable with this problem-solving technique, not knowing how to respond to what he considered to be an act of incivility and violence. The man took his seat and then turned to Correll. In perfect Oxford English he said, "Sahib, how many wives do you have?" Correll explained that in his culture, only one wife was acceptable. "I think you could have at least three or four wives," he said, adding, "for you are rich. I am poor," he said, "but I still have two wives. You could have four if not more."
"Oh no, I am not rich. I am poor," Correll, a missionary, answered. The man smiled and shook his head. "No Sahib, you are rich. Look at your feet." Correll’s eyes dropped to his feet. His shoes were dusty and showed the wear of travel. Then he looked at the feet of his traveling companion. They were bare.
One dad, realizing the difference between riches and wealth, said, "You know, we are rich already, and someday we may have some money."
There is very little correlation between what you have and how happy you are. Gratitude is an attitude. Some of the people that I have met in the world who were most expressive of gratitude–even for very small things–were people who had little in terms of possessions.
Begin your day thanking God for your blessings, your family, your relationship with Him. Thank Him for the new day and ask His blessing upon it. Instead of looking at others and envying them because they have more than you, focus on God’s goodness to you as an individual.
You can identify a rich man by his shoes, though the man is riding in a third-class coach. Possibly. But you can always tell a grateful man by his attitude towards life.
Resource Reading: Colossians 3:1-17
When Sidney Correll was riding in a third-class coach in India, his frame was wedged into a seat on a wooden bench. It was bedlam inside the over-crowded train. Children were crying. It was hot and humid. Two women, each holding a baby, began fighting and yelling at one another. Suddenly, a well-dressed man sitting next to him "reached down and, after grabbing each one by the hair, knocked their heads together".
Correll was uncomfortable with this problem-solving technique, not knowing how to respond to what he considered to be an act of incivility and violence. The man took his seat and then turned to Correll. In perfect Oxford English he said, "Sahib, how many wives do you have?" Correll explained that in his culture, only one wife was acceptable. "I think you could have at least three or four wives," he said, adding, "for you are rich. I am poor," he said, "but I still have two wives. You could have four if not more."
"Oh no, I am not rich. I am poor," Correll, a missionary, answered. The man smiled and shook his head. "No Sahib, you are rich. Look at your feet." Correll’s eyes dropped to his feet. His shoes were dusty and showed the wear of travel. Then he looked at the feet of his traveling companion. They were bare.
One dad, realizing the difference between riches and wealth, said, "You know, we are rich already, and someday we may have some money."
There is very little correlation between what you have and how happy you are. Gratitude is an attitude. Some of the people that I have met in the world who were most expressive of gratitude–even for very small things–were people who had little in terms of possessions.
Begin your day thanking God for your blessings, your family, your relationship with Him. Thank Him for the new day and ask His blessing upon it. Instead of looking at others and envying them because they have more than you, focus on God’s goodness to you as an individual.
You can identify a rich man by his shoes, though the man is riding in a third-class coach. Possibly. But you can always tell a grateful man by his attitude towards life.
Resource Reading: Colossians 3:1-17
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