Neither Poverty Nor Riches

Proverbs 30: 8-9

"Give me neither poverty nor riches--
Feed me with the food allotted to me;
Lest I be full and deny You,
And say, "Who is the LORD?"
Or lest I be poor and steal,
And profane the name of my God.

You should see the obvious application of this verse. It is good to have just enough; having too much is just as problematic as having too little. We all get that right?

Sometimes I think it is hard for us to see the evil associated with having too much. And if there was ever a culture that was drowning itself in too much, it is certainly us. I can't think of any other culture throughout the history of time as affluent as modern America is. I don't mean to imply that every one of us is rich by our own cultural standards. But the vast majority of Americans are terribly wealthy when compared to most of humanity throughout time.

We all have enough to eat. (Or, if we don't, there are dozens of agencies that will feed us.) Most of us live in comfortable, safe, modern homes with indoor plumbing (I hope!) and more than one bedroom. We have kitchens and refrigerators and microwaves. Our closets have more than two or three changes of clothes in them. You get my point. If you have never lived or traveled outside of the US, particularly to an impoverished part of the world, you might not understand this fully. If that is the case, just take my word for it.

The problem with wealth, as I see it, is two fold. First, it makes us think that we are doing just fine on our own. When you don't really need anything, it's hard to feel like you desperately need God. Plus, wealth gives us a false sense of security. Instead of depending on God as our refuge and fortress, our rock and high tower, we think about our finances as a means of protection.

Second, material wealth, and the pursuit of it, is a big fat distraction. I know because I spent so many years of my life longing for it, instead of for God. I've said this before, but it bears repeating. God showed me what a dissatisfied person I was in an interesting way. He pretty much allowed me to obtain every material thing I ever lusted after at a fairly young age. Now, don't go thinking wild on me here. I never did aspire too high, so getting there was not some kind of "rags to riches" drama.

But after I got to the point of relative financial security, I still had this consuming feeling that I was missing out on something. It was God that I was missing out on. I see so clearly now that no material thing would have been enough to satisfy me if I had not made God my soul's desire. Several years AFTER seeing that and understanding it, I went on a very nice vacation with my husband to New York City.

While I was there, an interesting thing happened. I got caught up in it. It being that feeling that I just had to have a certain kind of clothing, or shoes, or whatever. That somehow if I bought those things, I would be satisfied. And not only satisfied, but someone to be envied. I'm almost embarrassed to even admit this, but it happened all right. Marc Jacobs shoes. That is what made me see sense again. Those suckers cost an obscene amount of money. And I bought a pair. They were, of course, DEEPLY (I mean deep, deep, deeply) discounted, but still expensive.

What happened next is the crazy part. I wore those ridiculously overpriced shoes, and instead of feeling proud of them, I felt very self conscious. "Will people know I bought these on sale? Are these LAST SEASON'S SHOES????" Never did a stupider stupid thought cross my mind. It was at that point that I realized there was no end to the quest for satisfaction in things like clothing and shoes. So I made a deliberate decision to just check out of that rat race. I spent 3 month buying clothes off of the Target clearance rack, too.

I tell you that story to illustrate just how alluring material wealth, or the pursuit of it, can be. Even to those of us who know better. Maybe you are better than I am in this area. But we all have our potential disaster zones, things that have the potential to put us in a death grip of sin. So nowadays, when I start getting excited about a new pair of earrings (thanks for those, honey, by the way) I take a step back and remember that they are just earrings, they don't make me anything other than what I am, and they will never have the power to satisfy me.

Ecclesiastes 5: 10

"He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver;
Nor he who loves abundance, with increase.
This also is vanity."

Isaiah 58:14

"Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD;
And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,
And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
The mouth of the LORD has spoken."