The week before Spring Break, I was lucky enough to get to go to Nicaragua with a group of students from Nicaragua. This experience was unbelievable. It brought me to questioning wealth, what makes somebody rich? One day we went to this dump, in this dump people live in the worst conditions I have ever seen whether it is on television or in real life. This group of people had nothing, absolutely nothing except for each other. One old man actually had eighty-seven offspring that lived in the dump with him; whether they were his kids, grandchildren, or great grandchildren. The man had no material possessions and actually searched through the garbage for clothes and food. He was ninety-three years old! He could not have been happier I don’t think, which is amazing because I spend more money on food and entertainment in one day that he spends probably in a couple months but I am pretty sure that he is far happier than I am with his life.
Based on my standards, this old man is far from rich. Once again, I’ll stress, he has NOTHING! However, if wealth is something that makes you happy than he seriously is the wealthiest person I have ever met in my life. The only things he had was his family (all in the dump), love for and from them, and love from and for God. Based on those ideas, it seems as though that wealth is based on happiness and love. It says many times in the Bible that God is love. Therefore, by having to depend on love for everything, food, shelter, and everything else; he is always depending on God in all aspects of life.
This man was an inspiration to me to question all of my priorities and values in my life. What is more important, that I have money or that I have love from family and God. God gave me life, He sent His only Son so that I would be forgiven of my sins and can have eternal life with Him in Heaven. That is love and that is far more important that any amount of money or material possessions could be.
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