As a writer, I watch my weekly mail for cheques from the various publications I contribute to. It’s always exciting to see what the postie has brought, and this month I will happily cash the biggest cheque of the year—the one from King Ralph.

All three million of us here in Alberta have received our Prosperity Bonus, or “Klein Bucks.” Everyone who was a resident of Alberta as of September 1, 2005 and filed a 2004 tax return was entitled to $400, regardless of their income. So, with five of us, that was $2,000 for our household.

Pretty nice.

As I rub my hands together, I’m thinking of how to spend this windfall. Should we fix the roof? Put a down payment on a new car? Put it on the mortgage or take the kids to Disneyland? This is such a nice problem to have.

Of course, everyone wants a piece of the prosperity pie. Every furniture store, fitness club and electronics dealer in the province is bombarding us with ads, flyers and neon street signs urging us to spend this extra money at their place of business. It’s easy to see how this cash is going to burn a hole in a lot of Albertans’ well-padded pockets.

Last week, another flyer came in the mail asking for money. It was from The Mustard Seed Street Ministry, a non-profit Christian organization in Calgary that helps the inner city’s less fortunate. Not them, too, I thought, feeling annoyed.

But reading the flyer further, I began to realize that their solicitation was probably the most worthy of all. The Mustard Seed is one of four charitable organizations that will benefit from Prosperity in Perspective, an initiative led by a group of committed Calgary volunteers and business leaders.

This benevolent group believes that many of us don’t need this money. It is what it is—a bonus. On the flip side, many of the homeless people The Mustard Seed serves in downtown Calgary will not see a dime of it. Most haven’t filed an income tax return in years, and since they have no fixed address, they have fallen through the cracks—very deep cracks.

The $400 that is gravy to most of us could be spent on 153 meals at The

Mustard Seed. For others, it could mean a month’s rent for a family at the YMCA. It could set four people up with hard hats, steel-toed boots and coveralls so they can work. The list goes on and on. Prosperity in Perspective calls their initiative “one simple way to invest back in a province that has so enriched all of our lives.”

Oh. Right.

I remember we are called by God to give away all that we have, for our treasures will be found in heaven. I glance at my cheque from King Ralph. I think a little harder. I can live with my roof, drive the old car until it rusts into the ground, deal with our mortgage. As far as Disneyland goes, how does it compare in the big picture to giving someone a hand up as our Lord asks us to?

After all, I had everything I could ever want or need, even before my Klein Bucks came in the mail.

I’ve got this prosperity thing in perspective now.