I think I grew up with the view that being wealthy was a bad thing. I was never explicitly told that being wealthy was a bad thing, but I came to that conclusion from the things that were said about some of the wealthy people in the society that I grew up in. My family’s values were centred on service and giving; helping those less fortunate than us. So, when I was leaving college to start my life, my vision was to change the world, and to do so working in the non-profit sector. While some of my colleagues were making twice my salary in the private sector, I consoled myself saying that I was doing more meaningful work.
I soon relocated to Nigeria where I ran a mission-driven organization for almost ten years. And now, after many years focused on service and the non-profit sector, my heart is happy, but my bank balance, not so much. I have had a mindset shift. Sure, I want to do good, help my family, and change the world, but I also don’t want to worry about my basic survival and leaving an inheritance for my son. It may not be the most Christian attitude to have, because we are told as Christians not to worry about tomorrow and what to eat when we believe in God. But we are also told to work hard because heaven helps those who help themselves.
With the benefit of experience, I can look back on the attitude of my grandparents and see that wealth in itself was not the problem, but the misplaced value put on money and wealth over every other thing of value in our lives. When money and the acquisition of wealth rules over our relationship with God and our decency towards other human beings, that’s when it becomes a problem. My grandparents worked, made money, and acquired property, but it was not the focus of their lives.
Here I am with a son, in a society where wealth inequality is high and rising, and I am at a wealth disadvantage because of my gender and my race, it would be foolish of me to say that I do not think about generating wealth for myself and my family. Student debt is so high that young people fresh out of school are crippled before they can even take a step toward building their lives. I want better for my son. I want to give my son the same head start in life that the wealthy are able to provide for their children. I want to give him options beyond being a slave to his paycheck or to his lender. It is my desire to give him the same or better than was given to me, certainly not less.
Proverbs 22:7 says, ‘The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.’ As long as we have to borrow to keep up with the demands of living in society, we will remain slaves to the system as the wealth gap grows wider. Generating wealth is important. Being a slave to money…that’s where the problem lies. Or to say it in the words of the Bible, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.
When the love of money comes first before any other value, then wealth is dangerous. When we use our wealth to oppress others and deny others fairness and justice, that is a problem. Wealth on its own is not a problem. How we acquire the wealth and what we do with it is what we are judged on.
It took me a while to get to this point where I understand that wealth, every dollar that I make, is a gift from God and I can honour Him with that wealth.
I think of the Parable of the Talents in the book of Matthew 25:14-28. A master was going away for a while and gave put his servants in charge of his property. To one servant he gave five talents, to another he gave two talents, and to the third servant he gave one talent. The servants who got five talents and two talents put the talents to use and doubled the talents and increased their master’s property. The third servant buried the talent in the ground and gained nothing with it. When the master returned the two servants who doubled the talents that they were given were applauded by the master. He said, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness.’ (Matthew 25:21 NIV) To the servant who gained nothing, the master said, ‘You wicked, lazy servant!… You should have put my money on deposit with bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.’ (Matthew 25:26-28 NIV).
Now, I am no theologian, but I believe that God has given us talents and we are expected to use those talents to help ourselves and others. If we do nothing, we get nothing back. If we put our skills and talent to work, then we double what we have and we can use our increase to double our impact in the world.
Talking about money and wealth, and the desire to leave an inheritance for our children is not a sin. In the Bible, the men that God used to do his work were wealthy. Abraham, Job, and King Solomon were all wealthy. The love of money, so much that it numbs you to every suffering and injustice around you, is a problem.
I’ll leave you with these words from Paul:
‘Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command then to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.’ (1 Timothy 1:17-19 NIV)
This is where I am in my thoughts about money and wealth, and in my pursuit of prosperity.
