Proverbs 28:6 (NIV)
Better the poor whose walk is blameless
than the rich
whose ways are perverse.
Are the rich truly free of worry? Or is it possible they
are a bit more distressed than most commoners like you and me?
Let's think about it. Being rich is not easy at all. You
have constant worry -- about your possessions, your protection, your investments
... It never ends! Imagine having to hire a multitude of personnel to guarantee
a semi-quasi "peaceful" and less-stressful life! Lawyers,
tax-consultants, insurance agents, investment advisers, body guards ... This
list could go on and on.
"Jesus looked at him and said, 'How hard it is for
the rich to enter the kingdom of God!'" (Luke 18:24)
When oil was found in Pithole, Pennsylvania, in 1865, it
attracted a lot of people whose only goal was to get rich quick. But they soon
realized there was a price tag attached to their dream. Equipment was costly,
rent was costly, the parcel of "promised" land was costly, food was
more costly in this neighborhood than anywhere else, barrels were costly, and
even the transport of oil barrels was costly.
It's true that at first the transport fee was feasible:
1$ per barrel, which would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 20$ in our day
and age. But almost overnight the charge tripled to 3$ a barrel! Oh, there was
a "good" reason behind the price increase: Carrying 360 pound barrels
over steep, muddy trails shortened the lives of the horses and mules employed
in this endeavor. And since they worked non-stop around the clock, they needed
to be replaced regularly!
(Wait. What about the plight of these poor animals?)
Then came Samuel Van Syckel, who saw an opportunity to
become rich by cutting the cost of transportation back to 1$ a barrel. And he
wouldn't need the help of donkeys or horses! Instead he built 5.5 miles of 2
inch wrought iron pipe, from Pithole to Oil Creek. In fact, he was the first
one to successfully transport oil via a pipeline!
Until lengths of the pipe mysteriously were torn up in
the dark, that is. It seems he had made some enemies with the rough, tough
teamsters who ended with no more cargo or dying horses!
No problem, armed guards were hired to patrol the line.
And you can well imagine that this was not the end of the
story. More complications were foreseen in the near future. We are talking
about the mighty dollar after all!
Being rich isn't really a piece of cake. Furthermore, the
rich still have to wonder, like any of us: "What can anyone give in exchange
for their soul?" (Mark 8:37).
After all, money can buy neither peace nor happiness only
God can give true peace or true happiness!
Dear Lord, Help us put our trust in You and not the
things of this world to find true peace. Thank You for giving us the peace that
passes all understanding. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
