Proverbs 22:1-3

A good name is to be chosen rather than great wealth,
good favor more than silver or gold.
The rich and the poor meet together;
the Lord is the Creator of them both.
A shrewd person sees danger and hides himself,
but the naive keep right on going and suffer for it.

I’ve got a confession to make: I don’t like getting looked down on. It really drives me nuts. I don’t like getting talked down to. I don’t like being treated like I’m lesser than someone else. I don’t like it when people think they know more than me and when they try to make me feel like a smaller person because of their perception of their status over me. I also don’t like it when people treat me (or others) like they aren’t as good of ‘people’ because they don’t have as much money.

And that’s exactly the thing. It is just their perception. They may think that they’re better than me, but they’re not. And I’m not better than them. We are equals. Sure they may have a different gift than me, but I have a different gift than them. They may have more knowledge than me in an area, but I have more knowledge than them in another. They may be older and wise, but I may have more passion and faith.

It’s just a wrong perception that people get. And we should be careful not to get it. Because of this amazing verse, “The Lord is the Creator of them both.” That can be frustrating at times. Because there are people that you don’t always want to treat like they are made in the same image as you are made. You might want to treat some people like they are less human because of their flaws and characteristics, but you can’t. I can’t. We can’t. We are all made by the creator and in the image of the creator.

Perspective is everything. While we must be careful not to think we are better than the rich person (or the poor person), knowing that you are equals can bring great confidence. They might have tremendous confidence because they have been able to accumulate wealth, but you should have great confidence too. Not because you have accumulated wealth or knowledge, but because you are made in the image of your creator.

The God of the universes, the Lord of all creation made you. The God of the universes, the Lord of all creation made them. The rich and the poor, God made them both.

So, be confident. You were made by and in the image of the creator. There is no reason anyone should look down on that!