The Tribune

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer

NATHANIAL comes from a family whose income is only enough to meet utility bills and purchase a week's worth of groceries. He said his family is just one emergency away from being shot far behind the poverty line.

Despite the economic hardship, Nathaniel* graduated from high school with a good education and did all he could to market himself in the working world.

"I took up all amd any additional courses that I could. I sent out resumes like crazy and I tried to make connections with all kinds of people in different fields. But I am still broke and my family is still barely making ends meet," he told Tribune Religion.

Circumstances like Nathaniel's questions the extent to which Proverbs 10:4 is valid. The scripture states: "Being lazy will make you poor, but hard work will make you rich."

Mervin Stubbs, an Anglican follower, said one thing he has learned about reading the Bible is that you cannot take everything literally.

"I think this scripture does not mean that wealth and riches would run a person down and over take them if they work hard. All I think it is saying is if you work hard enough you can become successful and you would be able to live a comfortable life," said Mr Stubbs.

Just because a person does not have an overwhelming amount of wealth does not necessarily mean they have not worked hard. Sometimes difficult circumstances have a lot to do with where people are in their lives, said Mona Carey, a Baptist follower.

"Growing up my mother worked two jobs just so she could provide for me and my siblings. My mother got off from work at 12 in the morning, woke up early to cook, clean and head to her second job. That is what I call hardwork but my mother still did not become rich. She had enough but she was not rich. We also went through very difficult times that were enough to send anyone crazy. We were a financial wreck and not because we wanted to be but because we did not have control over our circumstances," she said.

Catholic faithful Sandra believes the world can become anyone's, all they have to do is invest time and work. She said nothing is handed to people on a silver platter, and if a person wants to move forward they must be willing to make moves.

"Laziness would make you poor and working hard would pay off. Simply because no one gets anywhere by sitting around. Some often call a penny, two faced and worthless, but I too believe a person that chooses not to work for what they want in life is worthless. We all were given strength by the lord to be the best we can be and work hard at doing so," she said.