Money

“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”

Epictetus

“For a small piece of paper, it carries a lot of weight.”

The O’Jays – For the Love of Money

“Don’t think money does everything or you are going to end up doing everything for money.”

Voltaire

Okay, Take 2.  I started a blog and then my computer did something weird and I lost everything I had written which, fortunately wasn’t very much, but I had to start over; so here I am doing a quick write until I figure out what I want to write today.  Sometimes the Enemy hits me with apathy.  Today it is hitting me with a complete blank.  That is, I have no idea what to say.  I just know I need to be here.

I’m trying to make some changes in my life.  I want more money, a lot more.  Now before anyone panics and says how bad money is and how it’s the root of all evil, allow me to quote the scripture correctly:

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

1 Timothy 6:10

So money is not the root of all evil; the love of money is.  And the love of money is not the root of all evil, but of all kinds of evil.  This means various kinds of evil, not every evil.  If Germany had had more money in the 1920’s and 1930’s, then World War II and the Holocaust probably wouldn’t have happened.  If people hadn’t tried to get money so quickly, without really working for it and not borrowing it, then the Great Depression and the recent housing crash might not have happened.  Without the love of money, prisons might be emptier and the reasons that caused people to believe they needed to commit crimes would have vanished.  Granted, there are other issues such as laziness, fear and racism, and no amount of money can fix these things.  This is why the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, but there are other kinds of evil that have nothing to do with money.  Still, the love of money and the lack of money can lead to many problems.

In this case, I define love as a preoccupation with something or someone combined with the belief that it will meet or override all one’s needs, including the emotional, physical and spiritual. 

This is what I understand about money, its uses and its limitations:

1.     Having money won’t solve everything. 

2.     Having money will give me more choices and more opportunities, but only if I have the courage to take them.

3.     Having money will also increase my responsibility to use it generously if I choose to be a man of character.

4.     Having money will not solve most of my relationship problems, except perhaps the ones around money and those issues are not around money, but around trust.

5.     Having money will not automatically teach me how to manage and keep money.

6.     Having money will be fun and a relief.

7.     Having money that lasts and outlasts me will be even more of a relief.

Make no mistake.  I want money and I want a lot of it.  I know it won’t solve all my problems, but it will give me opportunities I don’t have now.  One of the goals I have written on my 3x5 cards states, “I have enough money to provide for my children and grandchildren.”

So I want to provide for the next two generations.  I also want to provide for those less fortunate, though I’m still not sure how.  I want to travel.  I want to buy a small house in a beach community.  I want to make the world a better place.  In some ways, my lifestyle will not change significantly when I have more money. 

I don’t love money, but I respect it.  I respect the power and choices and freedom it offers.  But until I get the power, choices and freedom I desire, I have to use the power, freedom and choices I have now.  This is why I study, and write blogs and do radio shows and try to get better at my job.  I have to make use of what I’ve been given.  As Stan Lee wrote, “With great power comes great responsibility.”  And with small power, comes great responsibility.  The book of Luke says, “Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.'”

I may not get ten cities, but I know that the man who can rule himself can rule a kingdom. 

At the beginning of this blog entry, I wrote that I was being hit with a complete blank.  I’m still not sure if I’m saying anything useful and even money won’t solve that problem.   All I can do is sit here, write and do my best.  By using my time well, perhaps I am practicing using my money well.    In this way, I also continue moving towards my Purpose. 

It’s time to start acting like a king.  All I have to do is Get Started and Keep Going.