Too often than not, we tend to feel as though we do not have enough money. What might be surprising to know is that the average size of the American home has tripled within the past 50 years! That is right, not doubled, but TRIPLED!! Ready to be full on mind blown? Well on top of the tripling average house size, 1 in 10 Americans rent offsite storage! Basically, triple the amount of space is not enough. So what is enough?
Some of us think about money all of the time, and some of us do not. It is something we all think about more than we wish we did but is it one of those things that you just do not talk about unless the time is right. The topic of money is a subject we strive to avoid bring up around the dinner table. Even more, we almost avidly avoid bringing it up in religion and church. Money evokes so many feelings inside of us, especially surrounding the church, that sometimes it is better to just let the subject be. It is our embedded human nature to sulk away from the thought of talking out loud about anything with tension or of the abyssal unknown.
Money makes me feel irresponsible, burdened, ungrateful, and spoiled.
There is no shortage of money for me. I have everything that is essential. Not once have I struggled to feed myself because of money. There is a strong, sturdy roof above my head day after day. Why do I crave to have more money then? Why do I not give more to those who have even just a little less than I do?
One day the pastor of my church asked us what emotions money elicits within us. People responded with such a wide range of answers. Money makes some feel irresponsible or overwhelmed. Others feel guilt, fear, stress, and anxiety surrounding the subject. At the same time, even those same people felt thankful or lucky about money. Each and every one of us has our very own, personal experience surrounding money and the impression it leaves on our hearts.
Money is hard because every single person on this Earth feels differently about it.
You may be surprised to know that the Bible speaks more about money than a lot of other things. Some times our lives get wrapped up in revolving around paycheck to pay check. Matthew 6:24 says,
"No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one & love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money."
We sit here and tell ourselves that this is not true because we do not serve money. Maybe the problem lies in that people tend to actually manage better with scarcity because there is a limit. With the contrary, limitlessness is unknown and therefore scary for us. Scarcity means there is less for us to grasp, comprehend, and simply deal with. Christians in America largely prosper on this fundamental basis of scarcity. We live in the vast and glorious United States of America; however, there is not enough of anything. There is not enough land, not nearly enough health care, and not enough housing for all of us.
We have enough for our need, but NEVER enough for our greed.
It is impossible to change this view when our minds are not able to fathom or apprehend the concept of anything endless or eternal. We do not understand God, do we? On top of our minds not being able to visualize the full divinity of God, but on the graspable level, we lack human empathy for one another. We know that everyone one has their own struggles, but we stop there. Start thinking beyond the surface people!
What do we do when we cannot understand the limitless of money but we grapple to empathize deeply with our companions? We must nourish the generous spirit we have engrained in our souls. Money is a two-way street no matter where you are on the map. Stray from feeling guilty about giving or receiving. Just go for it. Retrieve the empathy that is always apart of you. It is easier to empathize with people the more you try and put forth the effort to. Money is so delicate because wealth overlaps into our social identities. These social identities impact what we think, believe, and know to be true. This is why empathy is incredibly essential. Money is what we use to distinguish, in our world, worth and value. Work to recognize your worth and value with what you have. Then open not just your eyes, but your hearts to the people around you.
Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back- given back with bonus & blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity. (Luke 6:38)
