The Richness of the Poor: What I've learned from people who have little.

The Richness of the Poor: What I've learned from people who have little.

This is one of several reflections about what I learned working and worshiping with people who are poor economically, during my years as Minister of Music at The United Methodist Church for All People (C4AP), and now doing a music ministry at Church of the Village. Names are changed to protect privacy.

#2: Gratitude

"Alleluia!  My apartment was robbed last night, but I'm alive and here today!," said Rebecca, after losing just about everything of value at her home.  

This grandmother had faced many challenges.  Her upbringing was hard. She has a sketchy past with the law. She has struggled with social services taking her grandchildren from her son and then from her (now they are back).  Economic instability is constantly with her.  Yet I have heard her give thanks hundreds of times, just for being alive. 

This is not uncommon in worship at The Church for All People.  Over and over I heard people give thanks for the little they had, or for just waking up that morning.  Always they recognized that someone else could be worse off.   This fact has held me accountable so many times when I felt sorry for myself or had some minor difficulty. For some reason, it is harder for those of us who are born into privilege to be as grateful for the life we have, than it is for many of the so-called "poor" people that I know.  

A couple joined us after worship one day and shared that their son had been found dead.  They believed it to be a murder but could not get the police to investigate.  The mother talked about the loss of her son and some other troubles she’d had in her life.  She'd had a stroke and one side of her face was, as she put it “mush mouthed”. In addition, their landlord was refusing to repair an open electrical wire.  When they made a formal complaint, he cut off their water in retaliation.  She concluded by saying “I've been so lucky.  The Lord has been so good to me.”

This floored me.   How could she end that account of her life with that statement of gratitude?  How was she not bitter and angry?  

I have learned from people who are economically poor that we can be bitter or we can be grateful in any moment, regardless of the objective circumstances. Choosing gratitude, especially when life is hard, is a path that can bring us joy.

The Down Side

Occasionally, the flip side of gratitude is being too quick to accept unjust circumstances.  Sometimes I saw folks acquiesce to a "no" or passively deal with injustice, instead of fighting for something that would provide them with benefits or improve their circumstances.  

What We Can Learn

It is no secret that nurturing a an "attitude of gratitude" is a beneficial practice for us all.  Recognizing that folks who have little wealth can teach us much about gratitude helps us stay humble and non-judgmental when we are serving those in need.  

At the same time, organizations that help those who are poor can provide advocacy to help people challenge a system that often says "no" or does not respond at all.