Surrender

Poverty is best defined not by what we may possess or don't, but rather by what we have mistakenly come to value above all else, and then continue to suffer over, uselessly.

Look closely at what a person struggles with in life; the actual nature of what he or she is fighting to possess, protect, or win; to what does he give his time, most of his attention? To what end her plans, the things she pursues and puts first each day? Such is the only real way to measure the true nature of anyone's character, including our own.

Most of us "give" back to life -- to others -- what little we do only to ensure we continue to get whatever we feel is fair in trade for that exchange. It's a good thing that the Divine doesn't adhere to our notion of a fair program of exchange.