How many of us have too much money? I don’t know about you, but I’m surely not on that yacht yet. Many of us yearn to win the lottery, but even if we did, it probably would only provide temporary happiness. It’s not unusual for a lottery winner to be broke within a few years. There can be a good deal of stress associated with financial planning, trying to remain anonymous so as to avoid all those third cousins twice removed from looking for a handout, and dealing with good old Uncle Sam. Yet most of us wouldn’t mind taking our chances.
Aside from inheriting it, the most likely way to accumulate wealth is by setting goals, working hard to achieve them, accumulating small amounts and investing them to cause additional growth perhaps in a small business, and being fiscally responsible in how we spend our money.
There are caveats for how we seek our wealth and how we deal with people during and after acquiring it. As the saying goes, “Be careful how you treat others on your way to the top, because you will never know who you are going to meet again on your way back down and you may need their help.”
It seems that seeking wealth goes hand in hand with seeking power. As power is achieved, the Golden Rule becomes, “He who has the gold, makes the rules.” Some prosperous people find themselves with only one thing that consumes their lives and that is acquiring more wealth. Through them we find that money is not the root of all evils but that “the love of money is the root of all evils.” (1 Tim 6:10) It causes the well-heeled to isolate themselves or to surround themselves with a few “loyal associates” whose company they enjoy, even though many are just living the good life vicariously through them.
But alas in the long run, the affluent may find that they become estranged from what were their best friends, their family members and even their spouses, because money can’t buy love. They can lose their religion, thinking that they are the source of their success and that God had no part in it. They can suffer personal disasters, such as going to jail because they no longer played by the rules and took illegal shortcuts.
If it seems like I am condemning the wealthy, that is not the case. There are many great men and women in this world who are relied upon by society to share their resources and they generously give. They employ the masses. They provide benefits for their employees. They share their time giving back to the society that made it possible for them to be successful.
These are the people we should emulate, but no matter how hard we try, sometimes it seems something comes along to set us back, maybe the loss of a job or a natural disaster such as Katrina. While taken out of context, Thomas Paine’s words apply, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Yet good can come from adversity. We begin to appreciate the little things. The thoughtfulness of others as they lend a hand.
The bonds that are forged with those who suffer with us and those who help us. What doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger.
We turn to God in prayer, even if we’ve been away from church, because we know that with him all things are possible in his time. Often times it’s when we get down to that last dollar. Then, “out of the blue,” a check shows up in the mail or we get that job.
We often find that we come out of this situation with a strengthened resolve and a stronger backbone. We feel motivated to do even better than before, so that next time, we will be more prepared for a setback or able to avoid it.St. Paul’s words guide us and apply equally to those who are wealthy and those of us not so. “Tell the rich in the present age not to be proud and not to rely on so uncertain a thing as wealth but rather on God, who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share, thus accumulating as treasure a good foundation for the future, so as to win the life that is true life.” (1Tim 6:17-19)
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