It is easy to be independent when you've got money. But to be

When Mahalia Jackson proclaimed, “It is easy to be independent when you’ve got money. But to be independent when you haven’t got a thing, that’s the Lord’s test,” she spoke not as a philosopher in comfort, but as a soul who had walked through the valley of struggle and sung her way into the light. Her words are a hymn of faith and endurance, born from the deep wells of experience. They remind us that true independence is not measured by the wealth in one’s purse, but by the courage in one’s spirit. Anyone can stand tall when the winds of fortune blow in their favor; but to remain upright in the storm of poverty and despair—that is where character is forged, and where the soul is tested by God Himself.

The origin of this wisdom flows from Jackson’s own life. Born in the slums of New Orleans in 1911, she grew up in a wooden shack without running water or electricity. Her childhood was marked by hardship, yet from that soil of suffering sprang a voice that would one day shake the heavens. As the world’s greatest gospel singer, she became a beacon of hope during the civil rights movement, her songs stirring courage in the hearts of millions. When she spoke of independence without wealth, she was not speaking in metaphor—she was speaking of her own journey, of a time when her only riches were faith, integrity, and the will to sing.

To be independent when you have nothing is the truest form of freedom, for it means that your spirit is not owned by your circumstances. Many imagine independence to mean the absence of need, but Jackson teaches us that it is rather the mastery of need—the power to remain whole when the world has stripped you bare. Poverty can humble the proud, but it can also reveal the pure. When one’s choices are few, and yet one chooses righteousness; when one’s hands are empty, and yet one works with devotion; when one’s heart is weary, and yet one sings—that is the triumph of the eternal over the temporary. That is the Lord’s test.

History bears witness to many who have endured this sacred trial. Consider Sojourner Truth, born into slavery, with no education, no wealth, and no freedom. Yet when she walked away from bondage, she carried with her a spirit unbroken. Homeless, penniless, but filled with divine fire, she spoke before crowds and kings alike, declaring the truth of equality and the power of faith. She owned nothing in the eyes of men, yet her voice moved a nation. Like Mahalia, she proved that independence of the soul does not depend upon gold or favor—it depends upon God.

The ancients, too, knew this truth. The prophets and sages of old walked in rags, fed by the kindness of strangers, yet their words outlasted empires. They taught that the one who rules himself is greater than the one who rules a city; that the one who trusts in divine providence stands taller than any king. For wealth may buy comfort, but only faith can buy peace. Those who are tested in poverty learn to rely not on the fleeting power of the world, but on the eternal power of the spirit. And when they rise, they rise unshakable, because their foundation is not gold, but grace.

Mahalia’s message is a challenge to all who seek an easy independence. It calls us to remember that true strength is not revealed when life is generous, but when it is harsh and empty. When the bank is full, gratitude is simple; but when the pockets are bare and the heart still gives thanks—that is holiness. The Lord’s test is not meant to destroy, but to refine. Like gold in the fire, the soul that endures poverty without bitterness and hardship without surrender becomes radiant with divine beauty.

And so, the lesson is clear: if you find yourself in want, do not despair. Let your poverty become your teacher. Stand firm in your dignity; do not sell your soul for comfort or compromise your truth for gain. Build your independence not upon what you own, but upon what you believe. Work with integrity, walk with humility, and trust that every trial has its purpose. For when you can say, “I have nothing, yet I am whole,” you have passed the test.

Thus, remember the voice of Mahalia Jackson—the voice that rose from poverty to praise. Her song is the anthem of every heart that dares to remain free in chains, faithful in hunger, and grateful in struggle. To be independent when you have plenty is human; to be independent when you have nothing is divine. And when you live by that truth, you will find that the Lord’s test is not a burden, but a blessing—one that transforms the soul into gold that never fades.