Money: the root
of all evil?
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From 1Timothy 6:10 we learn that some people crave money so much that they wander from their faith commitment. In my novel, Baggage
burdens., Jill, a wife, hungers for material possessions which money provides. It leads her to encouraging her husband to work longer hours so
she can purchase those items.
The question is, has Jill’s desire for her new
wants lead her to place her marriage as second priority. Has she been infected by the love of money so much
that she can’t see or care about the strains she’s placing on her marriage? In
her case should her desire for more money be consider the evil or just the tool
needed to fulfill her new wandering wants. Is her love for new possessions the
evil? If not evil is it more appropriate to say that the love
of money, or more money, is the root to trouble, trouble with serious
consequences?
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Special Disney memories captured on Jill’s camera
magically appear and lazily float down to the ground like large paper
snowflakes. Special unique moments drift into view and then melt away as if the
cool event lands on warm black pavement. The sight of the family spread
across the first bench of the boat floating through the It’s a Small, Small World brightens Jill’s spirit.
The blizzard of
holiday memories continues. Sarah sits on Mini’s knee and Amber plants a kiss
on Mickey’s cheek. Matt sneaks behind Pluto and pulls his tail. Matt and Joseph
pose wearing Mickey Mouse T-shirts. Amber, Sarah and Jill model Mini Mouse tops and ears. When Matt and Joseph show off their sweatshirt,
Joseph fails to smile. His “we need to
watch our spending” has no effect. Jill silences his objection by reminding
him that he can earn a little extra spending money by accepting Bill’s request
to build the basement bathroom.
If evil
is being self-centered, should a wealthy person be considered evil? Does
the accumulating of a lot of money mean rich people love it? Does it mean they
care more about themselves than others? Perhaps a way to judge whether a person
has been lead astray by money is to look at what they did with the money. In
that way one may have a glimpse into their character and possibly how they
amassed their wealth.
In my novel, Josey is Jill’s grandmother. She
is very wealthy. Clearly her money has opened many doors for her. What is
important is which doors she chose to go through.
Her choices show that money hasn’t
misdirected her. A good question is what was a part of her life that prevented her from being poisoned by the love for money and material wealth.
Before Bill flew to Oshawa, he’d done an Internet
search on Josey Sommerfeld's background. He’d learned that Josey’s husband, George,
originally was connected with the railroad. Later, dabbling in commercial real
estate investment, he amassed a huge fortune. For the last couple of decades
Josey’s heavy involvement in
philanthropic adventures earned her respect from many people and organizations.
Yesterday he visited a few of the charities with which
Josey was associated. Admiration for Josey’s financial, promotional and
organizational talents echoed over and over. She did everything from financing and directing to hands-on work.
The people Bill talked to all believed Josey’s energy suggested she was at
least ten years younger than her actual age.
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haiku capsule:
Disney expense bite
other’s bad luck changed to good
alchemy of gold
Next blog: Acts of Kindness
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