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There once was a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk, propped up against the side of a building.
One day, he saw a man in the finest suit he had ever seen. It was a bespoke suit, tailored to his exact proportions. His shoes shined in the sunlight, and he had a smile that couldn't be dimmed by the darkest cloud.
The poor man reached out with his sign and said to him, "You are looking great today, there isn't a speck of dust on you. Would you mind giving me some spare change?"
The rich man looked at him, shook his head, and kept walking.
The homeless man was hurt.
He folded up his sign and he went to go sleep underneath the bridge.
In the middle of the night, he heard some fighting.
Two other homeless men were fighting over a basket.
One yelled to the other, "I'm homeless because I want to be, you are homeless because you have to be..."
Then the homeless man got a bright idea.
So the next morning, he sat on the same corner waiting for the rich man to pass.
Right on schedule, the rich man came up.
The homeless man reached out his sign and said, "Man, yesterday, I thought you looked nice, but today, you look like a bus hit you. You look a mess. Maybe you should sit down next to me. Maybe somebody will feel sorry for us and give us some spare change until we get back on our feet."
The rich man felt insulted.
He said, "I have money...lots of it"
The homeless man said, "I don't believe you. Yesterday, you had a tailored made suit, but the suit you have on now, looks like it is off of the rack."
The rich man was getting angry.
He lashed out, "If I didn't have money, why would I have $2,000 in my wallet?"
The rich man spreads out the money, so the homeless man could see.
"I'm not impressed. You probably just cashed your check and this is your rent money. If you gave it away, you would be sitting next to me in a couple of weeks."
The rich man said, "I can give this away and not even care"
The homeless man rolled his eyes and retorted, "tell me anything..."
The rich man took the money and said "Here!...it looks like you need it more than me anyway"
And he walked off.
The homeless man was excited because his plan worked.
The next day, the homeless man saw the rich man again.
He held out his sign and said, "How much money do you have in your wallet today?"
The rich man said, "I don't have any, I gave you all my cash yesterday and I haven't been able to get back to the bank."
The homeless man said, "yeah right...I told you, you were broke. That was all of your money and you couldn't get more if you wanted to."
"I thought you were a rich man but I guess it turned out, you are just a homeless guy with one nice suit, and $2,000"
The rich man was at a loss for words, so he challenged the homeless man.
"Okay, I don't have the cash right now, but I have my credit cards. And I can buy anything I want."
The homeless man said, "you aren't that rich..."
"There is a REAL rich man that came down to the shelter. He bought 5 men a home, a car, and enough pocket money to last them 4 years. And he still had enough money left over to remodel the shelter.
That's a rich man!
You are just a homeless man with a credit card."
The rich man was not going to be outdone. He thought he knew exactly who that was. He thought to himself.
It must be James, an attorney at a competing firm. He is always showing off.
So the rich made an agreement with the homeless man.
If I can do what he did, would you believe that I was rich?
The homeless man said "maybe..."
The rich man said, "Meet me here tomorrow, and I am going to change your life."
The homeless man rolled his eyes and said, "I guess...you said that last time and look at you now, no money in your wallet."
The following day, the rich man showed up in a Rolls-Royce. He told the homeless man to get in.
He took him shopping for clothes. He bought him a fully furnished house, and he bought him a new car.
The homeless guy, said "Okay, I believe you..."
The rich man said, "no, you don't."
The rich man's phone starts to ring, he says, "here... take this, too. I'll just get another one."
He goes out and transfers his house into the homeless man's name.
He throws him the keys to his Rolls-Royce.
I don't need this either, I have so much money.
Tired from a long day, the homeless says he needs some rest and goes to the rich man's house and thanked him for everything.
Without a home, the rich man decided to sleep in a hotel for the night.
The following day, he looked at the spot where the homeless man used to sit and whispered to himself, "I showed him..."
When he arrived at the office, his boss was at his desk.
He told him that they didn't close a deal because he was out yesterday. That he had called him 10 times and he never picked up.
And unfortunately, he has to let him go.
The rich man was devasted.
Then reality hits.
The rich man checks his bank account to see what is left, and his bank account only had $3,000 left and his credit cards were all maxed out.
He was relying on that new client to double his money.
Heartbroken, he just sits on the sidewalk and cried.
2 months later.
The rich man officially became homeless.
His nice suit was now just rags. His shoes had holes in them, and he hadn't taken a bath in weeks.
But it looked like his luck was about to change.
He sees the homeless man walking down the street in some jeans and a t-shirt.
His shoes looked a little worn, and his hat had light sweat marks on it.
The rich man jumps up and says, "you remember me? I am the one that made you a millionaire over night!"
The homeless man nodded his head and said, "And I thank you, too. Who would have guessed that you WERE really rich. It's a crazy world isn't it?"
The rich man agreed.
And he asked the homeless man, "Why are you dressed like that, you must have blown the money on drugs and alcohol. I gave you over a million dollars of property and cash and you are still dressing like a bum. I bet you are broke."
The homeless man shook his head no.
The rich man said, "I bet you spent all of your money gambling or partying, and you couldn't help me if you wanted to."
The homeless man simply shrugged and said, "maybe..."
The rich man started to throw insults. "You are just a poor homeless man that doesn't know how to dress. And you are probably walking because you had to sell the car for cash."
The homeless man puts his hand on his shoulder, drops a $100 bill in his cup and says
"Take this...Here is some charity to help you get back on your feet.
You are a smart man, I'm sure you will find something soon, God willing."
But let me tell you something I want you to remember if you ever become rich again...
Never let the disrespect of others or your ego convince you that you have to spend your money, to prove to them that you have it.
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Meet A.B. Ridgeway:
A.B. Ridgeway, MBA, CPWA®️ (info@abrwealthmanagement.com) is the owner and Christian Financial Advisor with A.B. Ridgeway Wealth Management. With a decade in the finance industry, his goal is to give believers clarity around the most confusing topic in the Bible, money, and tithing. A.B. Ridgeway helps tithing Christians become cheerful givers but unlocking their money-making potential, so they can prosper and be the great stewards of the wealth God has entrusted them with.
*Disclaimer: This communication is not intended as an offer or solicitation to buy, hold or sell any financial instrument or investment advisory services. Any information provided has been obtained from sources considered reliable, but we do not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of any description of securities, markets or developments mentioned. This is strictly for information purposes. We recommend you speak with a professional financial advisor.
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