Where Is Your Treasure?

Not all poverty is created equal. I was reminded this past week that there is a sharp distinction between voluntary poverty, or "poor in spirit," and involuntary poverty. Francis of Assisi, along with many other spiritual forefathers, famously renounced worldly possessions, seeking to grow closer to God and the pattern established in Scripture. Billions today, however, live in a state of poverty that has been pushed upon them. For some few, it is because of poor choices. For the vast majority, however, it is because of their ethnicity, their birthplace, their society, disease, disability, and more things beyond their control. Many of these spiritual forefathers believed that choosing to live in poverty brought them closer to these downtrodden people on the margins of society, which happens to be the place where Jesus frequently was found hanging out. There are upsetting statistics coming out. From 2005-2009, median household wealth among Hispanics in the US dropped by 66% (the same figure for white households was 16%). That left about a third of Hispanics and blacks with zero or negative net assets. Another quarter had no assets other than a vehicle. In 2011, only 36% of American households had savings to cover a $1000 emergency. That's a very small crisis indeed, for a homeowner or a vehicle owner! A recent Dallas report defined "household asset poverty" as being unable to live for 3 months at the federal poverty line if they lost their income. By this definition, 39% of Dallas households are asset poor. Fully half of minority households are asset poor. What are we, as Christians, to do when we face this type of forced poverty? Some, such as Francis, chose to subject themselves to poverty. Even Francis recognized, however, that God did not call all Christians to live in such a way. He founded the "third order" of the Franciscans to provide a way for Christians to live "poor in spirit," as Jesus called them in the Sermon on the Mount. By choosing to allow God to use their resources instead of calling them their own, they cultivated a posture of reliance on God rather than reliance on their own assets. Is God calling American Christians to a similar posture today? What does it look like, in today's world of asset-building insurance policies, retirement accounts, and Social Security, to depend on God rather than our own safety nets? Sources: Kochhar, Rakesh, and Richard Fry and Paul Taylor. “Hispanic Household Wealth Fell by 66% from 2005 to 2009.” Pew Hispanic Center report, released July 26, 2011. Downloaded 30 April 2012 from http://www.pewhispanic.org/2011/07/26/the-toll-of-the-great-recession/ Corporation for Enterprise Development. Assets & Opportunity Profile. February 2012. www.cfed.org