“Why do you have your pinkie like that? You are not rich, Daddy.”

Vikki teases me about it all the time. Jenna makes sure to remind me of my faulty floating finger–she is good at reminding me of my faults.

I have to admit, yes, for reasons I don’t fully comprehend, my pinkie finger on my right hand goes all “Downton Abbey” on me when I drink from a cup. Any cup. Not just when drinking a morning coffee or sipping a spot of Earl Grey. Even when chugging a Mountain Dew or a Perrier, that rogue little finger on my right hand shoots skyward in some weird type of salute to the end of my current state of thirst.

This time it was almost-seven-year-old Sunni. She had just steeped her own cup of iced tea and wanted me to taste her wares. It was good. But before I could say, “Pretty good, Sunni.” Came the:

“Why do you have your pinkie like that? You are not rich, Daddy.”

Of course, Vikki laughed. I didn’t. Oh, it was funny, no doubt. I guess I am just a little self conscious about the aristocratic tendencies of the smallest digit on my right hand. That is one for your blog, Vikki had said. I just kinda sneered at her, my feelings still a little miffed. By this time, little Sunni had bolted to the next room to insult someone else. Watch out, she is good at that.

“You are not rich, Daddy.”

So says a little seven year old with a quick wit and a sharp tongue. (she certainly doesn’t get that from me). According to Global Rich List, I am in the richest .07% of the world and rank around 4,200,000th in income in the entire world.  Forget the “One Percent” everyone blathered on about a couple years back. I am a .07 Percenter. Take that anti-Capitalists!

Anyhow, please forgive my little political rant.

Actually, being rich has never been one of my goals in life. To me money is mostly a necessity and I would get really hungry if I didn’t have any. God has chosen to bless me with much more than I deserve in this life and should He choose to bless me even more, I wouldn’t object, but simply choose to put all He has given me at His disposal and to work His purpose.

Honestly, I don’t measure the value or richness of my life by the amount of money I make, by the size of my retirement account, or by the houses, cars, or things that I own. Those are just temporal achievements and possessions that really bring no lasting satisfaction. Instead, I choose to find true the real value in my life in these three things:

My standing with my Creator

Everything I have, am, or ever hope to be is a direct result of the unfathomable mercy and grace He generously pours into my heart each morning. I often find myself in awe of why He would even give me the time of day. Good thing is, I don’t have to figure out why He loves me. I can just rest in the fact that it is true.

[shareable]Everything I have, am, or ever hope to be is a direct result of the unfathomable mercy and grace He generously pours into my heart each morning.[/shareable]

My Children

Every one of my kids adds more value to my life than any bank account, salary, or man toy. They are my most cherished possessions, my pride and joy, my encouragers and my biggest fans. I know many would say I have too many kids. But, you know, I have never been able to figure out which ones I could do without. They are each awesomely unique and I know that they have great futures ahead of them. I am so excited to see what God is going to do through them and how they are going to change the world. Keep an eye out and stay tuned.

My Wife

God has blessed me with the strongest wife on the face of the Earth. How she makes it through each day I will never know. Her love for her goofy husband and gaggle of children is only surpassed in strength by her rock solid faith in God. Does she have faults? No. She doesn’t.

“You are not rich, Daddy.”

Beg to differ, Little One. I am more wealthy than Gates, Zuckerburg, Slim, and the Sultan of Brunei combined. The riches I have can’t be bought with cash, stock options or during an IPO. My riches can’t be hidden in offshore accounts, stashed in variable annuities, nor kept under a mattress. My wealth is in the eternal market. Where rust, moths, decay, and corruption can’t steal away even one little penny.

So slide me that sparkling bottle of Citron Lemon Lime Perrier and watch my pinkie fly, because I am the richest man alive.

I would love to hear about what makes you feel rich in life. Or maybe you aren’t feeling very rich at the moment. Either way leave comment below or on Facebook and let’s talk about it.