The Ways of the World

There are people who are wise to the ways of the world. They know where and how to pleasure the senses. It might be just a hole on the wall that serves the most exquisite dishes or a luxurious resort just to loll and laze around. They know where and how to find the currency and wealth that the world desires; or not finding it, they know how to create it. I sometimes envy such people for the easy and comfortable lives they live.

There are people who have chosen to walk the way of the Lord. They live simple and humble lives, sharing whatever they have with those who have less or none at all. They do not seek to pleasure themselves but they seek to please others inservice. Their wealth and treasure – and it does not matter if these were meager or abundant – is meant to be given away and shared with others, not to be amassed and spent only for themselves.

I have tried to walk the way of the Lord. I have tried to live a simple and humble life. I have been blessed with joy that I have never dreamed possible. And in my fully conscious moments, I would not have my life any other way. Oh, there have been sad and difficult moments when I wavered in my decision. There have been moments of temptation, when I sometimes muse and think, “What if?” Sometimes, I feel cheated and conscious of the injustice of it all when people whom I see or know to be bad actually as having a good life in terms of material success and possessions.

In silent and humble prayer, I ask that I be delivered from such temptations.

Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
~Psalm 122

“And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.
For the children of this world
are more prudent in dealing with their own generation
than the children of light.”
Luke 16:1-8