A GRAIN OF WHEAT

How did you pay for your last vacation? What kind of car do you drive? What kind of car does your neighbor drive? How much do you make a year? Where do you buy your clothes?

I surely hope that you are saying, “None of this is any of your business”. I truly hope that you do not place undue importance on money and material things. You aren’t the kind of person that sees poor people as failures, are you? And I know that you don’t keep score with family and friends; who drives the newest car, who has the biggest house, who visits the nicest places, who has the biggest television? Surely none of that matters to you.

The reason I bring this up is that you hear from many people that America is founded on Christian values, but these same people are fierce advocates of consumerism. How can the one be reconciled with the other? Can a Christian be a constant consumer? No. Let’s be honest. Over-consumption is bad for the human person, the family, and society. We have all been conditioned to think that buying something on credit is as American as apple pie. And unfortunately, it is. Being in debt is the new status symbol. Nothing says that you’ve made it like having a stack of credit card bills. What’s worse is that not only are we going into debt, but we are helping our kids go into debt as well. I mean come on, does your child need to finance his/her first vehicle? Do you really think that credit card will only be used for “emergencies”?

Let me just come out and say it: Consumerism is not Christian. Neither is trying to keep up with the Jones’. And looking down on the poor is so far removed from Christianity that you might as well be worshipping a golden calf. That is essentially what most people are doing anyway; they worship money. Instead of using money wisely to provide for their family and then provide for those who can’t provide for themselves, most people abuse the privilege of having money. They spend and spend and spend until there is nothing left, but at least they can say that they have nice things. Many of these same people who are considered successful by the standards of society are cheating on their spouse, lying on their taxes, or some other form of debauchery. How is this successful? How can we call a man who makes $200,000 a year but has a mistress in three states a success?

I am a banker and I am constantly helping people reorganize things after they spend too much. Rich and poor alike have the same mindset: If you want to be happy, spend, spend, spend. You want to spend? Spend some time praying. Spend time helping the poor. Spend time with your family. Spend some time with God and see how much He loves you. Spend all you want. Just don’t spend money because at the end of the day it really isn’t worth much.

-God bless.