Black Women Have It Going On

“Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice.” — Proverbs 16:8

We’ve all heard the phrase “keeping up with the Joneses,” but what happens when the Joneses are busy performing a masterpiece of Strategic Poverty?

Last week, we talked about claiming the “Full Loaf” of our own lives. This week, I’m looking over the fence—literally—at a behavior that sticks in my craw: the performance of being “down on your luck” right until the moment you want to show off.

The Scene:
My neighbor and I had a shared problem: a fence that was falling apart. From the very beginning, he made it clear—through heavy sighs and “poor-mouth” talk—that he was broke. He painted a picture of someone just barely scraping by, making it seem like even bringing up the cost of a fence repair would be an act of cruelty. Because I’m a neighbor who cares, the burden stayed on my side of the line.

The Pivot:
Months later, the “struggle” mask slipped. He casually shared that he had just dropped $10,000 on new teeth for his wife. Then came the punchline: he told me he would have had plenty of money in his account right now… if he hadn’t just paid for that dental work.

The “lean times” weren’t a crisis; they were a calculation. He didn’t lack the money; he just didn’t want it allocated to a shared responsibility.

The Critical Thinking Lesson:
This is the art of Strategic Poverty. It’s a manipulation tactic where a person performs “hardship” to lower your expectations and evade responsibility. By acting “down on his luck,” he ensured I wouldn’t even think to ask for a dime, effectively getting me to subsidize his peace of mind while he saved his cash for a vanity project.

When people show you that their “poverty” is actually just a priority list that doesn’t include integrity, believe them.

The Takeaway:
A $10,000 smile is hard to miss, but the lack of character behind it is even more blinding. Don’t let someone else’s “poor-mouth” performance turn into your financial burden. Let’s pray!

Daily Prayer:
Lord, grant me the discernment to see beyond the masks people wear. Help me to be a good neighbor without being a doormat for those who prioritize their own vanity over shared integrity. Teach me to set healthy boundaries and to trust Your provision when others choose to withhold theirs. Keep my heart from bitterness and my hands steady as I walk in Your truth. Amen.