Wealth attracts many friends, but even the closest friend of the poor person deserts them. —Proverbs 19:4
Time and time again, modern society sees celebrities and fantasizes about how great our own lives would be if that were to magically happen to us. Fame, fortune, beauty, glamour—these things have one common denominator: friends. Proverbs 19:4 teaches us an important lesson about money. The more money and recognition you have, the more other people want to be around you, talk to you and do things with you. To a selfish person, the idea of many people loving him or her can bring on feelings and behaviors of greed. Thus, they build relationships based on selfishness. People want to be around those with immense wealth because of the possibility that something great will happen to themselves. Perhaps they can win favors from these people or become popular themselves. Sadly, the wealthy tend to have more “friends” than the poor, even if these friends aren’t real. On the other end of the spectrum is the poor person. The homeless, poor and impoverished have historically been ignored—or even shunned—by most, even if they have the purest of hearts. Most people believe they have nothing to gain from a homeless man, and they avoid contact altogether. Even if you don’t consciously realize this, it happens every day. Next time you see someone on the streets or begging for change, remember to be like Jesus. The Lord loves us equally, whether we live lavishly or on the sidewalk. Jesus loves us even when we’re the man or woman in the gutter with nothing to offer. He’ll always be our friend and ally, just as we should be to those in need.
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