He-Said-She-Said, Going Up? | Acts of God

…give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.  – Proverbs 30:8 (NIV)

“WARNING: Do Not Crowd the Elevator. It Will Stop With You In It.”

I stared at the announcement and thought: How true. All our striving for possessions, power, and prominence summed up on a photocopied flyer. Just when we think we’ve accumulated all we need to reach the summit, our ride stops. Casting a sideways glance, I counted the others in the elevator. Were we too many? What constitutes a crowd? Is there a fish scale in the ceiling calculating our tonnage? Far above I heard the motorized whir of pulleys spinning. With a jolt the cable yanked editors and agents and writers upwards toward our temporary rooms. I nodded at the woman standing next to me. Would my suitcase tip the scales? Would hers? The elevator shuttered to a stop. More riders pressed in and up we went.

The writer of Proverbs 30 peered toward the heavens and asked the God of the universe to give him only enough wealth to be carried in his purse or pouch. Too much, and the writer would have no need for God. Too little, and the bitterness of poverty would rob him of joy and peace.

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