Follow the Money

Okay, this may be hard to express, but I’ll do my best. Following a nap this afternoon, I woke with the title for this blog routing through my mind. And please understand, money is not my god nor has it ever been, but something settled in on me as I reposed following my sleep.

My heart was filled with gratitude and grief and I considered what I did today. Now granted, God has blessed me with a wonderful hourly income when I do my trade work. And for that, I’m satisfied, but also shamed.

That’s right, shamed that I could used what God gave me through the linage of my father and mother, so as to turn a profit, yet eternally grateful that my Father graced me into a land that yields so much wealth. Thank you Lord, I’m not worthy to be born in this land.

As it stands, I Googled global wealth and income statistics. Lord, it’s dismal. Close to one quarter of the world lives on $2.00 US dollars per day. My coffee this morning was $3.75. How could I do this? How could I keep on with such disdain for the starving and the needy.

Wikipedia tells us that 6 million children die of starvation per year around the world. That’s freakin’ 17,000 kids each day dying for lack of food and water. Oh my God how can I ever complain that my $4.00 burger didn’t have enough mayo on it?

The weight that is upon my heart at this moment is this: HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH? I mean really? Someone once told me, that years ago, people would say you should earn your age. You know? If you’re 20 years old you should earn 20K etc. And I guess that’s a nice way of creating a friendly and hopeful ratio, but most of the world doesn’t live that way. As a matter of fact, many Americans don’t even keep up with that ratio.

But my point is this. How cheaply could you really live and still be satisfied? Granted, we are blessed and I would never steal nor socialize your hard earned wealth from you, but really, haven’t we had about enough of this bigger is better, more is meaningful philosophy?

I know I have. And over five years ago, my family and I set out on a course to be completely debt free, and we are, with the exception of a small mortgage under 90K. And we learned something during those years of frugality. We learned that we could make it on far, far less than we thought.

Oh please don’t miss understand me. If my personal goal in my trade work is to earn $400 per day, that’s fine, because in a full days work I suppose I’m worth the quality and expertise they receive. But, why is it that the same work 50 years ago may have garnered only, $20 dollars per day?

I’m not an economist, nor do I fully understand inflation, but this one thing I do understand. I need less than I have. Oh I may want what I have, but I truly NEED LESS than I have.

The question is can you, will you, and are you able to say the same thing? Oh not to put some guilt trip upon you, but are you living with such excess that you need a third car garage to keep all your junk?

Jesus told us that where our treasure is, that’s where our hearts WILL BE.

Follow the Money… Check your check book… what good is all your wealth? You can’t take it with you.

Follow the Money and it will lead you to your god.