Am I Poor?

In a casual conversation with a friend last week, I made a statement, "OMG, I have never been this poor!"  She quickly refutes my statement in a reply, "You are not poor, there are plenty of people way poorer than you!  All you have to do is make a phone call and your needs will be met!" 

I agreed with her and left the topic alone.  I guess I'm not poor I declared to myself....."but am I?"  For the past couple of days I've been left pondering poverty, what it is, what are its impact, what are the its criteria, etc.  Google says that poverty is "the state or condition of one having little or no money, goods, or means of support or lacking usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possession."  I also found out that the United Nations (UN) finds it difficult to clearly define poverty as the criteria for poverty in America is not the same as poverty in Zimbabwe.

So, am I poor?  Yes and No.  Yes in that I am no longer generating income nor able to provide financially for myself without the support of others.  But the answer is also no, I'm not poor, because I have a roof over my head, running water, electricity (now that it's turned back on) as a result of the financial support of others.  I struggle with being in a position of depending on others for my livelihood though.  Everything that I have in this season of my life is as a result of others doing for me.  Giving the shirt off of my back to someone in need has never been my struggle; although, accepting the shirt off of someone else's back because I needed a shirt has been.  What I have to do is change my perspective!  My dependency is not on what someone else can or can not do but as along as my dependency remains in Christ providing for me, all will be well.  The path to purpose will never be easy or completely laid out.  There will be hard days and difficult situations, but I'm convinced that weeping my endure for a night, but joy WILL come in the morning!