On having “privilege”
By Elizabeth Prata
I wrote recently about a trad wife who presents a display of homemaking to the world that most women cannot achieve because they are not as wealthy as it turned out the trad wife indeed is. This results in a hypocritical presentation, because hers is just aesthetic and not real. My point was the hypocrisy of presenting an unreal lifestyle as achievable to the common woman. Yet some comments appeared under my post and centered on the wealth of the trad wife, complaining about her ‘privilege.’
We have turned into a bunch of complainers, whiners, and victims. Shake it off, ladies. Grow up.
It is a biblical fact that some people are indeed privileged to have been born into a wealthy family, and/or have had the benefit of money or education or tutoring or good schools… There is nothing wrong with that. Having wealth is OK. Having privilege is ok. 1 Samuel 2:7 says
“The Lord makes poor and rich;
He brings low, He also exalts“
When someone complains against another for having what they themselves do not have, there are two issues- first, have you worked for it or just expected it to land in y our lap? And second, the Lord decides who is rich and who is poor, who gets advantages and who doesn’t.
I’m glad for that trad wife that she had the advantages of money and continues to benefit from that advantage.
The problem isn’t wealth or privilege. The problem is hypocrisy. It’s pretending one does not have the advantages they do, it’s pretending they’ve done it all by themselves, and it’s failing to acknowledge the LORD for His work in one’s life.
The other problem with the privilege complainers is that the so-called “social justice” movement has conflated privilege with oppression. The movement & the culture has linked those together. As in, if you’re privileged, you MUST have oppressed someone else to get it.
Not always so.
Did Abraham oppress others? Did King Solomon, the richest man on the planet? Had Joseph of Arimathea who possessed wealth enough to cover the Lord’s body in spices costing years worth of salary? Job’s wealth drew the attention of satan who tried to get at Job relentlessly. God protected Job, until He didn’t. Joseph had the advantage of working for Potipher, until Mrs Potipher caused Joseph’s fall. Privilege comes with risks.
Many people in the Bible are wealthy. Many have benefited from advantage of knowing someone to get a leg up. Moses did- Pharaoh gave him advantages he would not otherwise have had. Eventually Moses declined it so as to identify with his people- who were legitimately oppressed. The Rich Young Ruler would not make that trade, to his eternal regret I’m sure.
Privilege comes with snares and it comes with responsibility. Do not think for a moment that wealth solves all one’s problems. It doesn’t. I am sure the trad wife who is actually a millionairess, has issues in her life we know nothing of. A few of the snares wealth brings are-
an increasing desire for wealth, (1 Timothy 6:10),
excessive worry about money (Matthew 6:25-34),
the temptation to trust in wealth rather than God (Luke 12:16-21),
and turning one’s wealth into an idol (Matthew 6:24).
Wealth brought responsibility to Abraham, he was responsible for many people, including his wayward nephew Lot.
It is God who gives wealth, it is God who brings poverty. He gives advantageous privilege and He makes low. Privilege isn’t what you think it is and wealth has its snares.
But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another. (Psalm 75:7)
The GREATEST privilege of all is to have been chosen by God for no reason or merit in us, to become one of His children. Salvation is the greatest privilege. His grace is privilege beyond compare in the entire universe.
Before complaining about privilege next time, remember if you are a believer, we all stand at the same blood-soaked ground before the cross, as humble orphan lost children needing a Fatherly Shepherd.
In the wilderness it was He who fed you manna which your fathers did not know, in order to humble you and in order to put you to the test, to do good for you in the end. Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’ But you are to remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth… (1 Samuel 2:16-18a).
