Wealth & Poverty

"One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth." Proverbs 13:7

I read this Proverb this morning in my quiet time and was struck by how important this is in so many ways. This is especially true in home business world where some businesses have a "fake it, till you make it mentality". Some companies actually tell you to look and act successful before you are. While this may be important on the attitude front it is foolishness when you treat your purchases this way. You should not be buying cars you can't afford, homes you can't afford etc.

So how come the man who pretends to be rich has nothing? In today's world it is very common, people who look rich own nothing. These people spend money they don't, run up credit card bills, and try to look good on the outside. These "rich" are more concerned about looking good and keeping up with the Jonses'. In the end, there is very little about their net worth that is actually rich.

The people who "pretend to be poor" stand for people today who are not worried about outwards appearance. They live below their means, saving and avoiding consumer debts. They don't spend what they don't have, they make saving and giving a priority and have no concern about how they compare to others. These are the people who are truly wealthy today.

Which will you be?

Danny