You’d rather cry in the Range rover! Really?

As I grew up, I had always wanted to be with the prince charming. A man who would sweep me off my feet; in other words Mr. Right, as many would call him. I had my list, ready to check if any of the guys coming really met my standards. Yea…I have been there.  

In the list of things, a very conspicuous requirement for any guy to be considered would be financial stability. Very valid. A man is the one supposed to take care of the family, not only financially, but also emotionally, physically and even spiritually (I came to know of these others later though). God even affirms this in his word (1 Timothy 5:9 “If any one does not take care of his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”). The problem however comes in when we put money as the number one priority, above all things. So long as a man has money then that becomes the ultimate ‘blessing’. Everything else fails to matter…his character notwithstanding. You may have occasionally heard grown women say ‘I would rather cry in a range rover than smile on a boda boda’. Then I wonder, the range rover, and all it comes with of course, is it worth the tears, and all they come with? 

It is easy to laugh and eventually agree with the statement. A range rover, a good house, money you don’t struggle to have and all the nice things. ‘What else would anybody want in this world?’ you wonder. Now for the boda boda, it’s quite the opposite. Nothing outstanding or glamorous about it. It is just a bicycle, open (nothing much to hide or show anyway). But then there is the smile. This means that you don’t get everything you want, but at least you get to have all you need, plus the joy and peace which bring the smile. Not so bad. Many of us ladies compare these two and the money on the range rover side seems so appealing that we choose to overlook the crying. It looks like we can handle it. Yea right! 

Well I think there are facts we need to face. Good things normally look too good when we look at them from outside the fence. But on getting in, experiencing their true goodness may prove a task if the environment is not conducive. It does not need rocket science to prove this fact. Enjoying the goodness and splendour of a good life will not be a reality with eyes covered with tears and no peace. It may sound sadistic what I am saying here but the girl smiling on the boda boda may just live 50 more years of joy after the one who opted for the range rover passes on. The stress and even depression that result from the tears and all kinds of turmoil make the journey to the grave shorter and faster many a times. 

James 1:9-11 brings the Range rover and boda boda circumstances to a kind of consensus. The brother in humble circumstances is asked to take pride in his high position while the one who is rich is asked to take pride in his low position. Reading these verses brings to my attention the value of humility. Having this virtue at the back of our minds can save us from many tragedies. Our priorities will be right as we check those ‘lists’ we have. Once we come to that point of true humility, even when things get tough, we may just be able to sustain that smile while on the boda boda. The Range rover life will also be so legitimate that even when trying times come, we will trust God to give us the strength to persevere. His grace is always sufficient