Young man looks angry at his smartphone.
What would you do with $1 trillion?
You would be the wealthiest person in the world, eclipsing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos by almost $850 billion. A stack of one trillion dollar bills would be about 68,000 miles tall, or a third of the way to the moon.
Such wealth is the aspiration of Raevon Terrell Parker. But he doesn’t plan to earn it through employment, investment, or similar means. Rather, he seeks to own the entire net worth of the world’s largest tech company.
Parker claims that his iPhone was stolen after he took the device in for repairs in 2018. He states: “The employee at the Apple Store repaired the device, but kept it by deceiving the plaintiff knowing that it was the first phone to have new features.” Parker claims that his original phone was exchanged for an old one with factory settings that required him to reset passwords and download apps all over again.
As a result, he is suing the company for $1 trillion, their approximate net worth.
This is not Parker’s first attempt to sue the tech giant. He unsuccessfully filed a $2 trillion claim in 2019 over the aforementioned grievance. However, his lawsuits have thus far been dismissed.
A better path to peace in a fractured world
In these fractured, chaotic times, our culture needs Christians who will “live in harmony with one another” (Romans 12:16a). Scripture is clear: “Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (vv. 16b–18).
One of the best ways to live in harmony with others is to share their suffering. Henri Nouwen: “Those who can sit with their fellow man, not knowing what to say but knowing that they should be there, can bring new life into a dying heart. Those who are not afraid to hold a hand in gratitude, to shed tears of grief, and to let a sigh of distress arise straight from the heart can break through paralyzing boundaries and witness the birth of a new fellowship, the fellowship of the broken.”
I remember as if it were yesterday the Sunday evening thirty years ago when I was praying with a missionary before he went out to preach in our church. This man had dedicated his life to serve Christ and the suffering as a doctor in Africa. Years earlier, a child coughed into his face, which caused him to lose sight in one eye. He had faced persecution, rejection, and loneliness across his many years of service. But his joyful passion for Jesus was powerful, infectious, and transforming.
I had invited him to preach to our congregation on that Sunday evening. We were praying together in my study before the service when he asked the Lord to do something that has marked me over all the years since: “Lord, break our hearts for what breaks your heart.”
Imagine the difference in our fractured world if every Christian would pray that prayer with sincerity and passion. Imagine the difference as God answers such intercession by empowering our compassion for the hurting people we meet.
“Lord, break my heart for what breaks your heart.”
Will you make this prayer yours today?
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