THE WORLD AROUND US
By: Pauline Lee
(I do not subscribe to Private Messanger. Please write to me at fsteps@tm.net.my)
The world around me is manifold. I used to live in a neighbourhood where on one side is an affluent estate of large triple-storey bungalows, on the other are middle-income townhouses and terraces of brick homes mostly owned by professionals. Behind me were government properties built for people who could not afford private homes, most earning way below the average income group in my country. About 2 miles from where I was stood squatter homes that were made from plywood, paper and canvass. This is very common in developing countries. You can find all income groups in one community. We all find ourselves shopping in the same supermarket, banking in the same financial institution, attending the same school, and patronizing the same clinic. Yet we do not discriminate one from the other. There is no class difference when we meet in public places. No one is given more or less privilege than the other because of the different credit cards we own. This sort of lifestyle keeps the rich humble, and the poor comfortable.
Recently I watched this movie "Wolves of Wall Street" which painted the life of a young man who fixed his eyes and heart firmly on the New York scene of the rich and famous. His world revolved around Wall Street - the business of money making. Soon the salivating desire to be rich and powerful indulged him. His greed loosened his firm grip on life's values and principles. When we shape our future according to just one continent of the world, we will lose the big picture. New York was not just Wall Street.
Jesus asked us to watch out and be on guard against the materialist game of this world (Luke 12:15). Where we set our eyes on, there our hearts will be.
Read more articles by Pauline Lee or search for articles on the same topic or others.
