Ignore The Weekly Reader

Growing up as a baby-boomer and attending West View Elementary School in Rockford, Illinois, one of  the highlights of any week of the 1960s was the distribution of the Weekly Reader. The Weekly Reader was a current events newspaper geared to elementary aged kids. I always enjoyed  the articles until "that day." That day when I opened up my Weekly Reader I stumbled on to an article with a chart that clearly defined annual family incomes as poor, low, middle and upper. I sort of knew what I thought my dad made per hour so I multiplied that out time 40 hours a week and 52 weeks a year. I did the math, looked down on the chart and came to the shocking realization that our family was low income according to the Weekly Reader editors.

I was shocked and was sure my parents had no idea about how dire our situation was. Surely this fact had slipped by them or how else could they be so happy? I was sure not going to break their hearts by letting them know. Dinner time came that night and I was much quieter than normal. Concerned my mom asked me, "Is everything OK? You seem so quiet tonight."  I could not hide my fear for them any longer. I pulled out the folded periodical I had stuffed in my back pocket and pointed to the chart. "Look at this. We are low income. We are on the verge of poor. The Weekly Reader says so!"

My wise mom smiled and asked me, "Did you get new jeans this year for school? Do you have a nice house and warm room to sleep in? Don't you have a nice bike and a baseball glove to play with your friends?"  I nodded and said, "Well, yes." "Then I think we are going to be OK," she said, and suddenly all was right again with the world.

It is interesting that the Bible tells us who we are and who we can be in Christ and we should be fine with that, but along comes the internet, media, commercials and self defeating comparison and we forget who we are and whose we are. Don't let this world define you as poor, inferior and defeated. Listen to the One who made you, knows you best and loves you most. Learn to count your blessings and ignore your Weekly Reader.