Mark 14: 7 “Jesus saith, For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.”
Children in the 1950’s mostly grew up in limited environments. That’s a politically correct way of saying we were “dirt poor.” As a child I did not realize how hard the struggle was for my dad to put food on the table for our family.
There was no such thing as politically correct then because very few, if any, had time to consider being offended by someone’s opinions, beliefs or words. The men worked and mothers stayed home and cared for the house and children. There were no social programs to finance the lives of those that could not or would not work.
The thought of being poor really didn’t occur to me or any of those my age because we did not know we were poor. Survival was a way of life and to complain about anything was counterproductive because no one cared to hear complaints or had time to listen.
Yes, we were poor but most everyone was as compared to today’s American family. There was a very slight class difference. If I remember correctly about ten percent were financially secure, ten percent very poor and the other eighty percent were the middle class.
The middle class then, by today’s standards would be considered poor. There were no cell phones, microwaves, digital clocks or computers. A few had TV’s and some received as many as three channels, one of which might provide a fairly clear picture.
Survival was, for most, one payday to the next. To have a CD, savings account or portfolio was unheard of. IRA’s and 401K’s had not yet been established. Retirement was a pipe-dream for many because few lived to the age of sixty-five. Many worked themselves to death or died of stress related conditions.
As children we fished with a cane pole and rode bicycles that were third or fourth owners. My first bicycle cost one dollar and I had to climb on it from of a stump. I was short and the bike was tall.
Being poor makes one appreciate what we do manage to accumulate in today’s world. We also learned to work at a young age and be very careful how our monies were dispersed. My dad put me to work at about ten years old for twenty-five cents per hour.
I was thrilled to get that quarter and managed to save enough to buy my first shotgun. It was a Stevens single barrel-single shot twenty gauge. Always anxious to get out-of-doors, my opportunities were greatly increased with that shotgun.
We hunted “up the railroad” from our small town. Several of my friends had guns and we learned at an early age to respect them. We were taught the rules of hunter’s safety in school. Game wardens came to the school several times each year and taught gun safety classes.
The “Junior Sportsmen” club was the highlight of my education. The wardens not only taught safety, they also taught courtesy, respect and an awareness of others and their rights. Better yet, they became our friends.
Being poor was not a hindrance but an awakening and created a sense of worth and pride. We knew other “things” were available but we would have to work to have them. Paying interest to the bank was like “burning money” and we were taught to work, save and wait.
Many children in today’s America may be given too much. I suppose that would be a matter of opinion but having been poor makes those circumstances obvious. What do they have to look forward to? Where is a sense of pride of accomplishment or a “job well done?”
Yes, I thank God we were poor. Being poor made America great and that’s a fact. My dad used to say “Hard work never hurt anybody.” We grew up expecting to work and the thought of living off the work of another never crossed our minds.
The thought of Jesus being a carpenter reminds us that He was a worker. The profession of carpenter in the first century meant He was a stone mason, metal worker and a wood worker.
Having taught industrial arts and working as a carpenter I have many great memories. At the end of the day seeing my successful students or a framed up house are among my greatest treasures.
I fail to understand how anyone tolerates life that has no personal successes. Life is good but it is what we make of it. Success can vary from one to another. Areas are many, choose yours!
In America we have opportunities many in our world do not have. The right to work and better our lives is at the top of our list of rights. To teach the young to work the system in order to receive a government check should be considered a form of child abuse.
Many today are claiming no connection to any religion or spiritual/supernatural belief. 2 Thessalonians 3: 10 “For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.”
This verse written by the Apostle Paul, we must remember, in those days, the new believers sometimes lived in communal environments (Acts chapter five tells of such a case). For one to not work could not be afforded because a bare sustenance could not afford a non-participating individual.
This is not to say the aged (if anyone lived that long) or the infirm were to be expelled but rather regarded anyone able should contribute his/her efforts to the survival of the group.
Opinions are as widespread as people considering this topic and that is understandable. A point to be made however is our lives are determined by our past. Being poor helped many of us become whatever we are at this point in life.
In the world today it appears many believe they have no need for God partly because of their own affluence. We must remember, this life is temporary and we are preparing ourselves for eternity with our Creator God.
We must always teach that eternal salvation is attained by a faith based belief (Ephesians 2: 8) in Christ Jesus crucified (Matthew 27: 35) for the remission of sin (1 John 1: 9) and resurrected (Matthew 28: 6).
Van Yandell is a retired Industrial Arts teacher, an ordained gospel evangelist and commissioned missionary. His email is vmy3451@gmail.com
