What’s the one luxury you can’t live without?
What does luxury mean to different people?
Knowing how to appreciate what you already have is itself a luxurious gift of life. A healthy body is a luxury, for some are born without it. A happy life is a luxury for those who grow up without a loving family. Clean water is a luxury where it remains scarce in underserved regions. Electricity is a luxury—every year, people in Europe and elsewhere die from heat waves without air-conditioned shelter.
Who knows how to recognise that something they own is a luxury? Some born with a silver spoon may know nothing beyond privilege, and thus fail to see what a “luxurious life” could truly mean. Others raised in modern cities may never appreciate where food comes from, wasting what’s on their plates without a second thought.
Gratitude for food and resources begins in childhood (Proverbs 22:6). My parents taught us not to waste food or natural resources because they understood how hard these things were gained. Rice comes from the sweat of farmers, so we must finish every grain in our bowls. Water is a blessing from the sky—we should not waste a drop. Time is precious to life, so we cherish every minute.
Growing up with this teaching, I see that what I have is a luxury I could hardly live without. While I treasure natural resources and daily necessities, I live in reverent awe of Almighty grace that sustains all creation.
Some follow an old Chinese saying: Food is the God of the people. They regard food as their prime want. But the Son of God, Jesus Christ, says: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
Both material luxury and spiritual necessity are essential elements to support a good life. Without material provisions, I may have wants—but not dire needs. Yet without spiritual food, I become entirely poor. God’s word, my spiritual food—that is the one luxury I cannot live without.
en yan hua fang 