Through the Eye of a Needle

I have recently been reading a book called "Following Jesus Through the Eye of a Needle..." by Kent Annan, and it has caused me to think about some things.  The book is mostly about the personal experiences Kent and his wife had while serving as missionaries in Haiti.  I have enjoyed it so far, but I am only about halfway through.

Jesus tells us lots of things about the rich entering the kingdom, but the passage I will quote is Matthew 19:23-24 (NIV):  Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.  Again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

Most of us have heard this verse several times if we have been in any type of Bible school classes.  If you are anything like me, you have read/heard this verse and thought "Wow, Jesus is right.  Those rich people are so greedy and sinful."  It wasn't until I read this book that I realized I am one of the rich people Jesus is referring to, and if you live in the United States, you are also a rich person.  Statistically, I am at or below poverty level in the United States, but I am still more wealthy than over 60% of the entire world!

So what does this mean if you and I are 'rich people' who will have a harder time making it into the Kingdom?  We all know it's pretty much impossible for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle.  I think the first step is being aware of our wealth and how much we really can share with others.  Surely all of us can spare a few dollars here and there for someone who really needs that money.  In Haiti, most people live on under $2/day, and it's not enough.  Who are we to say that we can't spare $2 because "our money is just really tight right now," even though most Americans continue to pay for luxuries like home internet and cable/satellite television when money is "tight."  All of us try to make excuses to get out of giving to others, but I think we do need to be more generous and live modestly whenever we are able to.  There are people all around us who are less fortunate than we are, and Haiti is just one example.

So if any of you are following this blog yet, what does this verse mean to you?  How do you think we should live based on the fact that we are wealthy people?