Wealthy.

Have you ever met someone who you feel changed your life somehow?

This is my special someone.
Let me introduce you to him, his name is Derek (on the left) with his sister Berlin and little brother Raffines, and he lives in Western Kenya.


While we lived in Western Kenya, we would see these children every day as we went to work. They were great fun, and we would often chat with them, play together and share food with them. But my time with them was most profound because it confronted me on my own wealth and resource. 

One thing Derek asked of me during our times together, was bread. I have never met a child who asked for bread. It was so confronting.

The reason I am thinking about this so much today, it because I hear myself and so many that I know in Australia saying we don't have much money. Actually, we do. We have so much money. Perhaps we are overcommitted or we are wanting more things. But if you have electricity and heating, a toilet and fresh running hot and cold water, a healthy diverse diet and medication and affordable healthcare, employment or Government assistance, a car, a computer, clothes for all seasons and hobbies and entertainment then you are so wealthy it is incredible.

Life in Australia is incredible. Yes, buying a house is expensive or a new car. Yes, a supermarket shop can be expensive. Yes, raising children is expensive. But if you have money for a mobile phone and internet, coffee and lunch out, petrol in your car and a shopping trip, and spare change in your pocket then you are one of the wealthiest people in the world. 

I think we need to acknowledge our wealth. We need to take ownership of our choices of how we spend our money. We have so much opportunity at our feet. Look around you. Look at all your stuff and remember that you bought it with your money. I have walked in houses that were bare. And felt sick at the idea of bringing these people home to my house. They would have never seen a house like mine, full of resource and luxury.

Before you say you don't have enough, I urge you to remember you have an abundance of resource, wealth and education. We have so much that we really do have an amazing capacity to make a huge difference in the world for others. 

Let us listen to the little voices, of the most vulnerable - like Derek - and invest in them. 

Comments