In visiting, what you see is one perspective. Naples is a community of enjoyment. The houses are expensive, the beach is close and therefore escaping life is present as you sit on a beach to relax, escape, reflect, and have fun. In the summer of 1989 I spent it on the beach of Myrtle beach (south) with Campus Crusade. I was with 50 other college students there to work jobs during the week and doing outreach events on Saturday, with the hopes of sharing the gospel with people. It was a great summer of working and also focusing our lives on ministry as well as getting fed in numerous ways by the Word of God.
Naturally, this beach experience was different.
This morning, back at home, I woke up early, still on eastern time, and had more time than usual reading and reflecting about spiritual things as I read from the book Kingdom Man by Tony Evans, Appointment with God by JB Phillips, and then also looking at my mom's hand-written notes on Matthew 7. While there, I read a lot from the Bonhoeffer book, but also thought of what I saw.
People in need have been heavy on my heart lately. As we go through the inconvenience over here in the states, many are suffering in other parts of the world. We are all told to take this virus seriously. The number of people infected everywhere with the virus is small in comparison to the population and yet people are getting sick and some dying. But, most of us here, like myself, are simply being inconvenienced. I know this because of my correspondence with pastors in Uganda and Kenya as well as lay people in Nigeria, Zambia, Ethiopia and Rwanda. In these communities, life prior to COVID was hard. And now life is harder. In Naples one can't help but notice the large houses on the beach and those near the beach with boats resting in canals, providing access to the ocean. These homes are expensive. As you see them, you can't help but wonder what it would be like to live there - to make your home there or maybe an extended vacation.
In those moments it is hard to remember that I am already rich. In comparison to those properties I don't feel rich, but in comparison to those in need I am rich. I grew thankful for my present circumstance, where we lived - having but not overextending what we had. Yet, helping others was on my mind. Here i think about those wealthy people passing on wealth to me and it makes me realize that to the people I converse with in those African countries, they see me in the same way, rich, hoping I would share some of it.
What's next? Get back to work and try to live in a way that honors Him.
