I am rich

Almost every time I hear the word “rich” I think of loads of money. Lately, I’ve been thinking about how that word must mean more than just material wealth. Webster defines rich as follows… (1) “having abundant possessions and especially material wealth”; (2a) “having high value or quality”; (2b) “well supplied or endowed”. I like definition 2b the best of these. It still has a connotation of material wealth, but I am going to use the word a little differently. I have always thought the terms richness and fullness were similar. I could be wrong here, but I am going to use the word rich outside the realm of material wealth.

I am rich in many ways that I take for granted most days. And the beautiful thing is that these cannot be taken away from me.
**God is my God and Father. He loves me unconditionally and wants to work in and through my life. I have done nothing to deserve this. It is a gift from Him. Not only does He give me love, He offers peace that is beyond human understanding. He provides protection, not always from injury, but from eternal separation from Him. He has a plan for my life. He knew me before I was born, before I was even in my mother’s womb.
**My husband loves me well. He provides for me. He listens to me. He enjoys spending time with me. The foundation of our relationship and marriage is the faith God has given each of us. With our foundation secure, we have started to build a life, marriage, home together. I can’t wait to see what the future holds and to one day look back and see what God did in spite of the sinners we are.
**My parents raised me in a Christian home where I saw what day-to-day life should look like. They prayed for me and continue to pray for me daily.
**I have good friends that I ache to be close in distance to again. And I know several of them ache for the same thing.

Every one of these has to do with a relationship in my life. Wow. That has not occurred to me in this way until I just typed it out. If I truly believe these relationships are what make me rich, do I live and view my life as a rich one? These relationships are what bring richness to my life. Do I spend my time cultivating and being grateful for these relationships?