Religious people are opinionated and reprogrammed by religion. They are off of the biblical truth.

Only the religious can glorify poverty, which from Eastern religions.

I will tell you my story. A long time ago I lived in Slovakia, which was under the Soviet Block. It was a socialistic country.

I was a board certified medical Internist. I escaped and risked my life swimming across the Adriatic Sea from Yugoslavia to Italy (a 3-hour swim). My heart started racing while I was swimming and I could have drowned. I can only give glory to God because He performed a miracle—I made it through the swim.

During my 5 years after my medical doctorate graduation I did not have a house or a decent apartment. I lived in an attic one-room apartment, which had a living room, kitchen, and study room all together, without a bathroom or toilet. The bathroom and toilet was common for entire corridor of tenants. We took turns cleaning.  It was mostly for doctors and nurses, including families. In one room lived three people, with a one-year old child.

We had two ring electric unit stove for cooking. There was no washing machine or laundry dryer available even it was at the hospital facility.

I did not have a car, but I did apply to get one. The deal was I had to wait for a car 5 years and put a 50% down payment (with no return interest), which was half of a 3-year salary. I borrowed the money from my father, since I was short. At that time there were no existing bank loans, or credit cards. My dad saved money working overtime to have some security when he will get old.

To visit my family I must travel (over one hour) on a bus, then by train and again by bus. I usually got a cold and a cough since in public transportation everybody coughed on you because you were so close together.

When I returned from my parents I must get up at 3 AM and walk to get the first train so I would be to work on time.

Many people in that country had TB (tuberculosis) without a cure. Young people were dying between the ages of 16-25. My beautiful female cousin died at the age of 17. Her name was Margitka.

In the sociaoistic medicine the salary I received was $ 50.00 per month. At that point, I had to calculate if I could even buy a book or not. Finally after working 5 years I got my first car. In 5 months I escaped from the country and sacrificed my car by leaving it on a Yugoslavian beach. It hurt me very much to lose that car (my dream) at the time, but I valued freedom more than the car.

By swimming across the Adriatic Sea, I had only a swimming suit. I did not have one penny to my name. It was all a  “foolish risk”, but at the same time blessing. 

I did not know the language once I arrived in the United States. I did not have with me my medical diploma, nothing. But I will tell you it was all worth it. I had to start all over again. I had to work in training for my two specialties. I did it with God’s help.

Recently I received a comment by one young Christian lady, who said: “I am blessed because I am poor.” What is blessing is it to be poor? She does not even know what poverty is. But I know that is poverty a curse of the law and not a blessing (Deuteronomy 28).  It is very sad for me. I am speechless.

No. 8609-3

© 2009 Vladimir Uhri