True poverty

So I watched just a little bit of Idol Gives Back last night and it was enough to make me realize that I’m a sad Christian.
My husband and I joke about how we’re poor and how we can’t afford a new DVD player because the one we have doesn’t always work, how we can’t afford a second car, and how we shop at thrift stores exclusively. Then I got a kick in the head last night (as I frequently do but fail to let it impact me beyond the moment) seeing a mom in New Orleans making minimum wage and supporting not only herself and her 13 year old daughter but other family members who live with them as well. They ALL depend on that minimum wage for everything and I can’t be satisfied with my husband’s good salary and benefits package. Not only do I live in a nice house with enough “stuff” to fill it, have access to excellent medical care, had have food on the table every day, but we’re able to splurge for the non-essentials once in a while- even if it is a dollar movie and McDonald’s. I’m such a sad Christian if I think that I am poor. Was I poor when my son was admitted to the hospital for 4 days two months ago and I was able to pay the bill? Am I poor when I pay my credit card bill every month for foolish purchases I’ve made in the past? Was I poor when Dan and I decided to treat our family to Heggy’s ice cream last week? No. I’m not poor. Not at all. It’s sad that I (or our sad American culture) ever thought that.