For those of you new to Free Money Finance, I post on The Bible and Money every Sunday. Here's why.
Here are some sobering thoughts from Ecclesiastes 6:1-3:
There is another serious tragedy I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavily on humanity. God gives some people great wealth and honor and everything they could ever want, but then he doesn’t give them the chance to enjoy these things. They die, and someone else, even a stranger, ends up enjoying their wealth! This is meaningless—a sickening tragedy.
A man might have a hundred children and live to be very old. But if he finds no satisfaction in life and doesn’t even get a decent burial, it would have been better for him to be born dead.
A few thoughts on this from me:
1. We all know or have heard of people with great wealth whose lives are a mess (in fact, it's quite common.) They have "everything" but are not happy. It's a good illustration that money, by itself, does not buy happiness.
2. There are things, many things in fact, that are more important in life than money. I even have a category dedicated to them here at FMF.
3. You have to have outside interests/pursuits. If your whole focus is on "getting more money", you're likely setting yourself up for disappointment and heartache.
I thought this was a good reminder of the things that are "really important" in life. We talk about how to make more money, save more money, and on and on every day on this site. And those aren't bad things -- in fact they can be quite good. But when they become all-consuming, then they can become very harmful to you and those you love. So keep it all in the proper perspective. ;-)
What version was that from? The Message?
Very interesting and true too.
Posted by: texashaze | January 30, 2011 at 02:03 PM
texashaze --
I think it was from the NLT. I use Biblegateway.com to get my verses and they have many translations available.
Posted by: FMF | January 30, 2011 at 02:08 PM
In a world long on entertainment (but tragically short on genuine connection!) it's easy to lose sight of or ignore the fact that life at it's core is ultimately hopeless.
In a purely secular sense, we're born, we live our lives, enjoy certain stretches of it, suffer tragedies and hard times in others, but ultimately we die and it's over. There may be enjoyment along the way and even a sense of purpose, but utlimately it ends at the grave.
"Life's a b--ch, and then you die" is the coloquial interpretation. Even the non-believer senses it.
I think we spend a lot of time running away from that fundamental truth, and one of the places we seek refuge is in money. Money can cure many ills and buy a lot of diversion, but it can't change our destiny.
In Jesus Christ we have the only solution to that outcome, and once we come to that realization nothing else in life is as important, including money.
Ultimatley, money is a tool; used wisely it's a valuable one even to the believer. But while it can do many things, it can't offer us salvation beyond this life, and often it can't do as much even within this life. If it can't save us, we should never allow it to have power over us.
I think that once we can put money in it's proper perspective--by recognizing and accepting it's limititions--we can embrace it's true value, let go of the fantasy version, and make it work for us.
Posted by: Kevin@OutOfYourRut | January 30, 2011 at 02:26 PM
Money doesn't matter one bit if you don't have people to share it with and the common sense to manage it. I grew up with not much money at all, but I had a happier childhood than many that were given everything.
Posted by: Everyday Tips | January 30, 2011 at 04:20 PM
Cemetaries are filled with people who thought they could not be replaced in there job.
If you can afford to retire do. Sometimes that decison will be made for you in, lay off, illness or death.
Kind of pointless saving all you life to have a retirement fund that you will leave behind.
Know how you want to spend your retirement and I do not mean money wise.
Posted by: Matt | January 30, 2011 at 07:16 PM
I am trying to make a conscious effort in my life to try and enjoy things more instead of chasing arbitrary financial goals all the time. So what if I have a ton of money in the bank. It might come in handy very rarely. But if I could use some of the resources to really help people, or to create experiences that will grow the relationships in my life, that would be great.
Posted by: Bogey | January 30, 2011 at 07:35 PM
These are sobering thoughts, indeed!
This passage reminds me a lot of Haggai chapter 1, where the people planted much but harvested little, ate but weren't satisfied, drank but were still thirsty, put on clothes but couldn't keep warm, and earned wages but lost the money through holes in the pockets.
God blew their wealth away because the people hadn't given Him first place in their lives.
Posted by: Rich@Life Compass | January 30, 2011 at 11:21 PM
This reminds me of a story, supposedly true, I found in a devotional or Readers Digest years ago.
An evangelist came to a Texas town. He preached that everything belonged to God and was only ours to use. One of the large ranchers didn't think so. He took the evangelist to dinner after church and then took him to the middle of his huge property. He looked out over it, turned to the man and said, "Now tell me this isn't all mine!" The evangelist said, "I will tell you on one condition. You come back in 200 years and ask me the same question."
As one of the verses says above, we die and all we collected belongs to someone else - and not always family.
Posted by: Georgia | January 31, 2011 at 08:34 AM