SOMETHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING

Use what you have at any given time!

Philippians 4:11-12: ” Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound,; everywhere and in all things, I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. “

Matthew 11:28-30: Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

For some, it is never enough...striving to impress others with stuff, being the big man or woman, showing off, being first in line with the most toys.

For me, not so much…not remotely so much.

While I grew up middle class, we did not live ostentatiously. In fact, my Barbie doll had a grander wardrobe than I did! She also had a Dream House and a sports car...the nerve of that lady!!

Years ago, when I was a leasing agent in San Francisco, I would go on the Broker’s Tour, a weekly event for the real estate sales agents that showcased some of the houses and condominiums for sale that week. Even though I was not in sales, my boss let me tag along. Some of the houses were literally MANSIONS in Pacific Heights and Cow Hollow, huge houses filled with rooms and possessions. While we certainly did not go through the entire house, we did see some of the rooms and I would always feel astonished at all these rooms...for what purpose were they there? Were they for impressing other people??

It is possible, with due respect to the efforts it took these homeowners to manifest that great wealth, that I perceived things incorrectly. However, to my deep empath soul, something felt rather chilly and empty. I just shook my head in heaviness...at what I experienced as excess and somehow, spiritual emptiness. There seemed no spiritual belonging, no wonderful God to love you and guide you across the shoals and unpredictable and untempered potholes of life...just living to impress others, for whom you possibly had little respect for and vice versa. To me, the human intellect alone is rather unfulfilling.

It seems cold comfort...all the surface things...possibly beautiful things, that still cannot give you a heartfelt hug, dry your tears, share in a crisis or hold you up in humble support. You cannot take things with you...

It is strange for me to simmer on this, never having given a whit for “things.” I have long struggled with survival and am neither showy nor impressive. I certainly have a voice... but I am not out front as the world denotes that persona. I’m a sensitive soul, an earthy girl and a blunt one at that. I am a woman of God and follower of Christ.

I am satisfied with the decent roof over my head, food on my humble table, a comfortable bed to rest in, clothes to wear, a faithful little car to carry me, good health in general (except for worry...) and a church family I cherish.

As the last surviving member of my immediate family, I have almost nothing of Mom, Dad, or both older brothers. I have literally one cracked teacup and saucer from my Mom, one handkerchief from Dad and nothing from two brothers, only photos and cherished memories.

I have long been happy with little but the basics.

The acquisition function of Western societies brings a life-or-death struggle over THINGS...the house, the car, the lawn, the clothes, the invisible social pressure to achieve, and be ahead of others, the “looking down on” aspect, of which I, understandably, do not appreciate ( since I am not on the top...) Even the “top” needs an anchor, that is the land beneath it and the humbles who grow the food... (”oh, that...”)

To have all that stuff, for what purpose?? Mind you, I am not against people becoming wealthy, as some wealthy people are kind and generous and provide jobs, community amenities, structural support, and much more. I do not envy the wealthy and other than wanting a bit more security in my Elder years, I do not crave all that stuff. Not one penny can you take with you when you leave this world.

I have often wondered about Christ’s words in Matthew 11:28-30, where He tells us to “come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest for your souls; for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” How can a yoke be easy?? A yoke is a fastening device for oxen, to bind two animals side by side together as they labor and pull a cart for the humans. A yoke is also the top part of a shirt or blouse, the upper structure that anchors the garment across the shoulders. A yoke, it sounds like work, not rest? Lord Jesus, please clarify??

Since I am the polar opposite of a “type A” , but rather am a “type Z” ( my own creation, meaning someone who is not dynamic in physical energy), I do not understand how a yoke of work can be restful. Perhaps that is my own struggle...and how each of us has our own blocked paths mentally or emotionally or physically. We just cannot seem to get past the struggles and traumas...we remain stuck. Here is Christ telling us the opposite...rest, a light burden, not a climb to the top of the human ladder. That sounds like what I need, even if I am a type Z and not an achiever. I have done all kinds of work in my life, from my teens to age 68. I am nearly 73 ...but no achievement, none but survival and street-smart.

Survival, heck, my first humble hippie house, my own “pad” was found right after high school graduation...after my Dad and I had a “disagreement” ( quarrel! ) and he took the Dad liberty of politely requesting me to GET OUT. I did...numb with cold reality crashing down around my ears. Mom had died suddenly four years before, one brother killed in Vietnam also, and I was still suffused in grief and loss but with a sharp tongue. Stumbling out in a day or two, I had no clue. I fortunately was not in the big city yet...and I actually found a princely shack for $55 a month, using funds from a graduation gift from my Grandmother. Complete with a literal hole in the wall (stuffed it with a rag), a dead bird in the closet ( buried it), two tiny bedrooms, a big kitchen (I did not cook much), one bathroom, pipes that froze in winter...and a big metal heater that cost me $40 a month to heat ( a large sum for 1971), that was my first venture into the shock of adult life. Got a roommate and soon had my barren living room furnished with early American Nothing that became, unwillingly for me, a crash pad, the cold floor covered with hippie boys thinking they could get laid...( they did not). My roommate and I found jobs working in the horseradish sheds south of my hometown, standing in an assembly line, where we broke side sticks off the body of the horseradish plants! Glamorous work, this, but it paid our rent for a few months!

Point being, I’m a smart ( well, not always) practical survivor who did not want to sleep in the snow...so a $55 shack did the trick for several months.

Living with the “something is better than nothing” template does not necessarly mean “settling for less”, it means taking what you have at any given moment and utilizing it to the best of your ability...and yes, sometimes in desperation! (see above…)

I have spoken before about how those of us with less money than most, often get “resourceful.” Resourceful means keeping your eyes open to opportunity and kindred spirits. The “gig” economy resonates with that, especially in a place like San Francisco, where a good number of the population does exactly that. That is how I survived there for 31 years, to summer 2011, and nearby SF Bay area until spring 2016. One remains in “alert mode” and does not rumble through life but is awake, aware and hyper-focused on the next gig. “Radar”, you know! I am also debt-free.

I wonder what Apostle Paul went through, as he was already on the road to major influence in the world of the Pharisees. He was training with a major teacher and headed for big success. Suddenly, amidst his severe persecution of Jews who had come to Christ, Paul had an unforgettable encounter of his own with Christ, Who arrived in the spiritual realm on Paul’s trip to Damascus and confronted Paul (then Saul) with “why do you persecute me?” That encounter knocked Paul off his perch and Paul certainly learned to “abase and abound.” (read much of the New Testament!!)

While we can certainly plan for the future and not act in ridiculous manners towards our well-being, none of us can know what might be around the next bend in the road. Our faith in God is our stable anchor, one to lean on, one to pour out our troubles to, and one to hold fast to in any storm. I will take that, any day, instead of “stuff.”

Wendy Elizabeth Williams, Friday, October 17, 2025

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