Enough Already
The picture on Facebook was gaudy and enticing: A hand gripping a large roll of cash and an urgent plea to forward the photo with the message: “In the next 24 hours God will bless you with plenty of money.”
Oh, where do we begin with all the wrong-headed assumptions here?
“Plenty of money” is enough. – Sorry, but plenty is never enough. When you have some, you want more. And when you have more, you want much more. Yes, I know from experience that getting your head above water is a good thing, and we should strive to help others reach that level of comfort and security. But waving the carrot of wealth feeds nothing but our worst inner longings.
Money is a blessing. – I’ve fantasized about what I would do if I had more money. I’ve thought about how I might feel blessed by having more, and how I could bless others by sharing “the much more” that I might have. But to be honest, I haven’t always had a good attitude about sharing, so it’s good for God to continue to work with me on sharing what I have at a manageable level.
God wants to bless you with money. – This idea is as old as civilization, and there’s just no proof that God wants us to be wealthy. People who say God wants to bless us with wealth are as wrong about the nature of God as the people who kill in the name of God. God has the power to kill the wicked and to financially reward the righteous, and the fact that God doesn’t do either one with any consistency tells me that retribution and wealth aren’t the goals of this life or of God’s kingdom.
The only currency God cares about is relationships, which we can have and have abundantly whether we are rich or poor. There is no entry fee to love one another and to live abundantly in relationship with each other and with God. And there isn’t any financial reward for that lifestyle either. There’s only the grace and peace of knowing that we have loved and that we are loved.
Instead of a picture of a hand holding a wad of cash, how about a picture of a hand holding another hand with the message: “God will bless you always for loving each other.”