Wealth and experience: two things at least everybody wants, whether it be one or the other. But just because one has wealth doesn't make them experienced at life. Intrinsically, money is completely worthless; it's just paper. Well now let's put a metaphysical note on this: Who is wealthier, the one with the trees or the one with the gold? Scripture uses the imagery of refined gold to describe spiritual wealth (Rev. 3:18) and foliage to describe how the righteous shall flourish (Proverbs 11:28). Believers grow in Christ in different ways, but which one is better? I once spent part of my day recounting all the money in our digital money jar, and while looking out at the very trees I can see through my window, a thought came to mind: who is wealthier, the one with the forest, or the one with the gold? I spent a few good minutes thinking about this, comparing the pros and cons of each side. My conclusion: Wealth is simply a transient symbolic representation of labor. If I burnt up your whole forest, you'd have no wood left, but the UPSIDE is that you now have fertilized soil for a year, and with all the seeds from your trees, you could potentially replant a forest an infinite number of times over. Wood also expands and contracts with the "weather" of life, but it would never survive a desert or a tundra.
But if I melted all your gold, the only upside is it can be reshaped back into bars, but you can't get any more gold from the same amount you already have. However, no matter whether life be "hot" or "cold" you'd definitely be able to withstand the different conditions. However, if you took all your lumber to a foundry, you'd be in poverty because you'd have no use for your wood. If you took all your gold to a forest, you'd be in poverty because you'd have no use for your gold. That's why I've come to conclude that both parties are equally wealthy in their respective rights.
Well who's more experienced, the person with the money who works a high paying job, or the one who is rich with knowledge and wisdom? At first you're most likely going to think that it's the person working the high paying job. After all if you have a job you have experience, right? Nope! Look back to what I said earlier about being experienced at life. Knowledge and wisdom should both be valued above material wealth because they're better teachers. Money by contrast must be worked for over and over again, and at the end of the day all you really have is possessions you want to buy, bills to pay and mouths to feed.
