"The Weed of Greed"
Jesus also said that the weed of greed (the deceitfulness of wealth) would strangle my garden. A number of years ago I received a modest amount of money from the sale of our family's business. Following my dad's model, I invested most of it in a diversity of stocks—depending on my father, an investment letter, and the Internet for financial advice. At first, I enjoyed the challenge of investing wisely. But at some point, this task became a choking weed. Each time I logged on to my computer I would scrutinize stock prices and news. I would get excited when my stocks went up --" Wow! I made $500 today"--and discouraged when they went down--"Why did he recommend that stock?!" And then I would churn with indecision: "Should I sell? Should I buy?”
Was it wrong for me to research and track my investments? Not at all. But at some point the weeds had taken over, entangling my heart with thoughts of making money. In the Old Testament economy God limited his people’s pursuit of financial gain. Work on the Sabbath was forbidden. Their yearly calendar included several weeks of religious festivals in Jerusalem. Every seventh year they grew no crops to rest the land (and themselves). Newlyweds were given a one-year honeymoon! Lenders charged no interest. And land titles reverted to the original owners on the Jubilee (every 50th year). Meditating on these policies, I was reminded that God cares more about the value of my soul than the value of my stocks. As a result, I shifted some money to investments that I don't need to watch regularly. I also limit how often I check stock prices. And I mostly invest in blue chip companies that don't soar or sink in a few hours of trading. Will I make less money? Possibly. Will I have money to live securely in retirement? Only God knows. But I do know that I have regained control of a weedy patch of my life.
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3 comments:
it's seems every day I need to convince myself that money is less important than other things in life...and success makes an accurate view of the transitory nature of wealth even more difficult to grasp. It is good to keep in mind things that matter.
I appreciate what you have written, it's honest nature has caused me to look at some problems in my heart with this issue. I am currently guilty of the same issue. I will oftentimes lose hours of the day on research or the mental gymnastics of "buy or sell". We do not have a lot of money, but what had started out as an education in finance has turned into a small obsession. Thanks for the candor! I need to pull some weeds out of my garden too. Thanks!
Our society leads us down the path of many distractions that at first seemed to be simply taking care of personal goals. Goals become ambitions...ambitions become pride...pride becomes vanity...and so on. A news segment reported on the increase in moonlighting...not so much to put food on the table and buy back-to-school clothes...but more to "maintain the lifestyle we have come to enjoy." Meanwhile, Dad is working 80-90 hrs. a week so the family can "live large." It's really true...LESS IS MORE!
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