It's a classic tale of the glorious rise and subsequent fall of someone to and from economic power. A tale of scandal and corruption and greed. A tale I like to call, "The Epic Monopoly Battle." It all started on a snowy afternoon in Bozeman, Montana. One Starbucks employee, one Young Life staffer, and several high schoolers. None of us what you might call "exceedingly wealthy." But over the course of ten hours, (that's right - ten hours) we went from rags to riches and...back to rags again. Except for Sharon, who won the game and conquered the world with some $30 billion racked up on her Monopoly Visa. (If you are not familiar with the new electronic variety of the classic board game, you might want to check it out...unless you are a purist and have an affinity for pastel paper money.) I came in second place with...zero dollars. I fought to the death, but just like in real life, I had about a trillion dollars and a hotel on Broadway at lunch time and by 3:oopm I was living in a cardboard box under a bridge and fending off evil rent collectors (i.e. Sharon) with Snickers Bars. Such is life.
I struggle constantly with having a Godly view of finances. I can be very judgmental of affluent people and often have guilt for having nice things or spending money on things that aren't necessities. Something deep inside of me longs to purge my life of all my possessions and the way they almost own me rather than me owning them. I think: I could give it all away and be much more contented. On the other hand, I want stuff. I want and want and want. I want expensive Patagonia baselayers and paintings by local artists (particularly the orange and red one of leaves that is hanging by the door at Common Grounds in Spearfish) to put in my living room and a car I can talk off-roading and a kayak and a tent and a plane ticket so I can spend a week floating on my back in the Mediterranean Sea. And shoes; oh, how I want shoes! I also want to eat at Q-Doba every day, and believe me, that adds up pretty fast.
Biblically, Jesus talks about the perks of poverty - it seems he feels that generally speaking, people who are just getting by are more apt to have correct world views, a greater dependency on him, and increased love and compassion for others. On the other hand, in the old testament, God was often blessing the good guys with riches. So it's obviously not the being rich that is the problem.
I suppose it boils down to healthy balance - constantly remembering that what I have is not mine...but that it is entrusted to me to manage with wisdom and generosity.
Hmmm. Any thoughts from the rest of you?
