Honestly this prompt came at the right time for me. Okay, before now I usually think that Rich people or should I say wealthy people has it all. I mean if someone has a beautiful house, drove a nice car, and always looked cheerful , I automatically concluded they are enjoying life.
A few Sundays ago, something happened in my church that completely changed my perspective.
During testimony time, a man came out to share what God had done for him. He spoke about how a friend stepped into his life and helped him to clear a debt of 13million naira. As he spoke, one could hear the relief in his voice . He explained how the debt has been a real concern to him and how it became a heavy burden he had carried every day.
I sat on my seat so surprised.
The reason it caught me off was because I already knew who he was. He's one of those people you notice in church. He drives a really nice car, lives in a beautiful house, dresses neatly and when ever it was time for praise and worship, he's always dancing with great joy. Looking at him from the outside, you would never think he was struggling with anything.
In my mind , he was someone who had everything thing together. As I listened, I realized how wrong I was about him.
Here I was, quietly admiring his life and assuming he had no worries. Whenever I see him I always whispered to myself ( "nkea bu-odogwu") meaning "this one is a great man", while he was carrying a burden I had knew absolutely nothing about.
It made me realize how often we judge people's live on what we see. I saw the car, the house and fine dress, but I didn't see the burden and sleepless nights he must have had.
That testimony stayed with me throughout the service that day.
On my way, I kept thinking how many times I have looked at people's life and wish I had what they had without thinking about what they might be passing through.
Don't get me wrong, I still believe that financial stability makes life easier in many ways, and I'm still working on my own goals. But I have stopped believing that money automatically means peace, or a comfortable lifestyle means someone has no battles they're fighting .
