A four-year-old asked his mom, "What happens when you die?" She said, "You go to be with Jesus."
He said, "No. I mean when you die. Do I get your stuff?"
The Bible mentions money or possessions about 2000 times. In the book of 1 Timothy, the apostle Paul tells his young protégé Timothy that when it comes to money, followers of Jesus should be characterized by three things: contentment, trust, and generosity. "Godliness with contentment," he said, "is great gain."
The great preacher Charles Spurgeon wrote, "It's not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness."
We arrive on this planet in our birthday suits and we'll leave Earth the same way. Sure, the undertaker may dress us up, but we won't take it with us.
Recently, archaeologists discovered the 5500-year-old tomb stocked with ceramic jars of honey, still sweet to the taste. But the deceased didn't take them with her. Nor can we.
America's Got Talent judge Simon Cowell was asked what he wanted more than anything. He said, "More money. As much money as I can get my hands on."
The interviewer said, "But you're worth 600 million dollars. Isn't that enough?"
"No," he said.
And it never is. Deep down, we know money won't make us rich, make us happy, buy us love, or buy what it used to. Still we chase it.
Never has a generation been so bombarded with what it does not have. A friend with perfect hair takes 35 pictures of her perfect kids at the perfect dinner out and posts one. The only way you could get your kids to sit this still is if you glue their pants to their chairs.
Comparison is the enemy of contentment. And researchers agree: the more time you stare at a screen, the less likely you are to be content.
The cure?
Celebrate moment by moment what God has given you. Do you have enough food? Do you sleep under a roof? Focus not on what you do not have, but on what God has blessed you with. An attitude of gratitude is the antidote to discontent.
A devout Quaker watched his new neighbor move in all the latest appliances, furniture, gadgets, and wall hangings. He shouted a warm welcome, then said, "If you find you're lacking anything, let me know and I'll show you how to live without it."
A commercial pilot often flew over a certain valley, and looked down intently on it. His co-pilot finally asked, "What's so interesting about that spot?"
"See that stream?" the pilot pointed. "When I was a kid I sat down there on a log and fished. Every time a plane flew over, I would look up and wish I were flying. Now I look down and wish I were fishing."
Contentment is a greater blessing than money.
So practice contentment. Take stock of what you're grateful for; you'll lose sight of what you lack. And don't compare. A friend told me he was working out. I said, "I haven't been to the gym this week. That makes eight years in a row!"
Phil Callaway is an author, speaker, and radio host. Visit him at philcallaway.com
