Exceedingly Rich

Ether 9: 16-20

..and the house of Emer did prosper exceedingly under the reign of Emer; and in the space of sixty and two years they had become exceedingly strong, insomuch that they became exceedingly rich--
Having all manner of fruit, and of grain, and of silks, and of fine linen, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious things;
And also all manner of cattle, and oxen, and cows, and of sheep, and of swine, and of goats, and also many other kinds of animals which were useful for the food of man.
And they also had horses, and asses, and there were elephants and cureloms and cumoms; all of which were useful unto man, and more especially the elephants and cureloms and cumoms,
And thus the Lord did pour out his blessings upon this land, which was choice above all other lands; and he commanded that whoso should posses the land should possess it unto the Lord,

So, most of the time these days, I feel pretty poor. I feel like I have no money and have to sort of live (extremely conservatively, and with lots of help) from paycheck to paycheck. But as I was reading these scriptures this morning, I started to re-think the idea of being rich.

Emer and his people were not just rich, they were exceedingly rich. And why? Well, it says that they had lots of kinds of fruits and grains and varieties of animals for meat. Well, shucks, I eat a variety of foods everyday, including fruits and grains and meats--and I have access to a greater variety of foods from a greater variety of cultures than Emer (or any other ancient king) ever even dreamed of.

But that's that all, they also had excellent transportation in a variety of methods, like horses and elephants and whatever cureloms and cumoms are--they could travel and transport things they needed. Well, I have a car (usually:), and a bike to get around, and my food is transported from all over the world and ends of right next door to me, so I can walk to the store to buy it.
Another thought: yesterday, our ward had FHE at a little pioneer village in Provo, and we learned that the trip from Provo to Salt Lake was a 2 day journey for the pioneers. 2 days! There are few places in the world now that would take 2 days to get to. Maybe I don't have all the opportunities to travel that I might like, but I actually travel more than I realized--Bountiful, Orem, Salt Lake--all in minutes, not days. I can travel faster and more easily than any previous civilization on the earth.

But Emer and his people had even more than great transportation, they also had silks and fine linen: they had beautiful clothes to wear. Last night, I convinced Michael to buy me a shirt at Walmart. It cost $4.48. The stitching on my shirt is beautifully straight and the thread matches the fabric. All the raw edges have been finished on the inside seams. The fabric has a fine, consistent knit and the colors are pure, evenly dyed, and won't bleed when I wash it (in my electric washing machine... that's in my house). I may wish that I had "finer" clothing than I do, but, honestly, my inexpensive blouse is of finer make and material than most clothing--hand or machine made--that has ever previously existed.

Emer's people also had gold, silver, and other precious things. They had beautiful things to look at and experience, and they had them in abundance. Even with their precious metals, I bet they would be blown away by the variety and accessibility that I have to images, music, and video that I experience via the internet and television. Not to mention the access that I have to endless information available through books, movies, magazines, websites, educational processes, and exposure to people from various cultures around the world.

As I thought about all these things this morning, I suddenly felt not just rich, not even exceedingly rich, but, like, excessively rich. I am seriously blessed--incredibly, almost unbelievably blessed. My quality of life is soooooooo good. I even live in a country where I can direct my own life, and where I feel safe and have a bright future, no matter what my current situation is.

So what is the price for living this beautiful, incredibly abundant life? The scriptures, of course, give the answer:

And thus the Lord did pour out his blessings upon this land, which was choice above all other lands; and he commanded that whoso should posses the land should possess it unto the Lord

Truly the greatest blessing I have is the same one that Emer's people (and every righteous people in every age) has had--the knowledge of God and of His son Jesus Christ, and the opportunity to live Their gospel and posses the land "unto the Lord." Because, while all that other stuff is lovely, it really matters very little without the hope of Eternal Life and of joy and relationships with my family that can last forever and keep getting better. And no amount of food or clothing or riches can give me the peace in my heart that can only come through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for me.

Man, I am truly exceedingly rich. In every way, and especially in the ways that matter most.
The Lord is so, so good.