LIFE IS BUILT ON RELATIONSHIPS, NOT THINGS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

“Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Lk 12:15 NIV

Few people have undergone the trials and tribulations of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. He suffered decades of horrendous hardship as a political exile in the Siberian prison system known as the Gulag, and through faith in God, he survived and impacted the world. We can learn from him not only because he is a survivor, but also because he had been in a situation that few of us have ever known—an existence of near total deprivation. He not only lived without luxuries, but he also lived without necessities. Note carefully what he wrote in The Gulag Archipelago: “Don’t be afraid of misfortune, and do not yearn for happiness; it is, after all, all the same: the bitter doesn’t last forever, and the sweet never fills the cup to overflowing. It is enough if you don’t freeze in the cold and if hunger and thirst don’t claw at your insides. If your back isn’t broken, if your feet can walk, if both arms can bend, if both eyes can see, and if both ears can hear, then whom should you envy? And why? Our envy of others devours us most of all. Rub your eyes and purify your heart—and prize above all else in the world those who love you and wish you well.” Now there’s a man who had figured out what really matters in life: not material things, but your relationship with God and with your loved ones. Jesus said, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”