Proverbs 22:2
Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all.
The great Maya Angelou once said
(and I can still hear it in her majestic voice):
“When you know better, you do better.”
That line has stuck with me for years.
But I want to add one small qualifier:
You do better when you are becoming better.
Because the truth is —
knowing better without becoming better doesn’t lead to growth.
It leads to guilt, stubbornness, and sometimes straight-up sabotage.
Knowing the right thing…
and still choosing the wrong thing…
is worse than not knowing at all.
Ask me how I know.
I knew better than to eat that second breakfast burrito this morning…
and yet here we are. 😅
And that’s exactly where Proverbs 22:2 takes us.
📖 SCRIPTURE BREAKDOWN — Same Maker, Same Process
Notice in the New International Version is says:
“Rich and poor have this in common:
The LORD is the Maker of them all.”
Yes, God made everyone.
But God doesn’t just make people and fling them off into the world—
He keeps making people.
Forming…
Informing.
Reforming.
Shaping us all..
And here’s a key insight:
Rich and poor may live very different lives,
but they both face many of the same inner challenges.
Pride vs humility
Fear vs trust
Control vs surrender
Comfort vs growth
Money doesn’t exempt you from formation.
Poverty doesn’t disqualify you from it either.
God is working on both.
🧠 ARE YOU BECOMING “BETTER”?
The difference isn’t who has more.
The difference is who yields more.
Becoming better is not always convenient.
Becoming better is not always comfortable.
Ask the athlete who skips the late-night dessert.
Ask the parent who chooses patience over snapping.
Ask the person who apologizes even when they could justify themselves.
Becoming better costs something.
But staying the same costs more.
(trust me, that extra breakfast burrito is gonna cost at least two more miles of walkin’)
God keeps shaping —
but He won’t force the process.
Which leads to the real question of this proverb:
God is making us…
but are we letting Him make us better?
🔥 HEAVEN’S WORK, EARTH’S CHOICE
The same God who made the rich
is working to humble them.
The same God who made the poor
is working to strengthen them.
Different circumstances.
Same invitation.
And that invitation sounds like this:
You can resist the shaping…
or you can be refined by it.
🔥 REMEMBER
Knowing better only helps
when you’re willing to become better.
🙏 PRAYER
Lord, I invite You in…to make me better today.
Prayer
Lord, I invite You in…to make me better today.
Today’s Challenge
Look for an opportunity to become better in an everyday task.
When you sense it, lean into it—even if it’s uncomfortable.
That’s where the shaping happens.
About the Author
Fred Lynch is a creative communicator, author, and Christian Hip Hop pioneer. To learn more about Fred and what he’s up to now…click here or you can find him in all the socials by searching the handle: heyfredlynch
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