Rich, yet Poor
“The lover of money will not be satisfied with money; nor the lover of wealth, with gain. This also is vanity. ”
News outlets shared a story about a man who won the lottery for over $270 Million. For many years, he was married to a woman who was the primary breadwinner, while he sat on his lazy rear end. Finally, she realized he would never change, and divorced him. Five months after the divorce was finalized, he went into a convenience store and bought the winning lottery ticket. She said she wouldn’t go back to him, and now he's refusing to give her a dime. He may be rich in dollars, but poor in the many ways that truly matter.
While I am against the lottery for ethical reasons, I sometimes wonder what I would do with that kind of money. It would be a relief to be free of financial worries. That would be a life changer. Yet, not all would be positive. I would have to give up the ministry God called me to. Can you imagine the line of people waiting to ask for money? It wouldn’t only be people experiencing poverty asking for a handout. It would be universities, hospitals, denominations, and untold not-for-profits. Even if I, somehow, kept those from asking for money from interrupting the daily ministry of our church, I wonder if the congregation members would treat me the same?
I would probably consider the money a gift, and it would become a full-time job figuring out how to sustain it while spending the interest on important projects. It would be nearly a full-time job just listening to different groups giving me the pitch and studying up on where the need is in this world of ours. Don’t get me wrong, it would be great fun, and meaningful to make such a difference, but it would come with a cost.
Today, think about what you would do with a check for $270 million. What would you buy for yourselves and those you love? Yet, even after a great deal of selfish spending, you will have a ton of money left over. Would you be a hoarder? How much would you share? Several years ago, I knew someone who had a lot of money; they sat on a church finance committee and pridefully demanded that everyone tithe a tenth of their income. After she gave her large tenth, she still had a huge amount left over for herself. When a poor person gives 10% of their income, they may not have enough left over to feed their family. Money is a challenging subject. Today, pray for God to guide your financial decisions and motivations, so you do not end up like the poor, rich lottery winner.
