Ecclesiastes 5:10-11: He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eats them, and what advantage does their owner have to see them with his eyes?
The preacher makes a good point above. It has become clear that there is a difference between having money and money having you. Obsession with money is a thing and you have to realize that your purpose in life is not to hoard. It is also really easy to become judgemental. To look down your nose at others. To be arrogant and feel that others caused their own problems by not handling their finances correctly. Forgetting you were the one who ended up in bankruptcy court.
I find I always need to combat these thoughts, and realize that it is natural for them to pop up. The human heart seems naturally inclined to think this way, and we have to purposely force it to think otherwise. For me, I feel it is a function of faith – however I know that others keep their feelings in check in other ways. We see that 1 Timothy 6:10 says “For the love of money is the root of all evil” yet we know that Job was very wealthy. We also know that the Roman Centurion was well off. You can be a person of faith and not let money become your obsession.
One story that I recall on my pilgrimage to Israel was my guide speaking of the eye of the needle. In the evenings the large gates were shut and a small door was opened in the gate that a camel could go through if all their packs were removed. This was often called the “eye of the needle” he was talking about in this verse: Matthew 19:24 “I’ll say it again-it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”. Conventional wisdom is that what Jesus is talking about is impossible, yet the guide thought he meant you had to be unencumbered by your wealth to get through the door.
Bible interpretation is like opinions – everyone has an opinion. However, the practical aspects of this thought experiment are serious. In our quest for FI we need to be real. Be real to life around us, and get involved.
How do you deal with your tendency to hoard and remain generous and thankful?
TheLateFrugal
