Root of My Evil

I've always been a firm believer that people should not spend their money in a self indulgent or excessive way. That people should live simply and save. That we owe it to the people that are starving, in bondage, and poor to be wise with our money and give as much as we can to them. That exceptional mansions are to be appreciated, but that sacrifices need to be made in a broken world, and that those things are not for now.

For a long time I've believed in living in a way that is much more poor than necessary in order to give money to those who need it: like to the North Korean refugees. I argued this point heatedly with a friend and as the focus changed so did my heart.

What is it that people need more than money? There are poor people in America that still have more than the richest in other countries, but they are not happy. There are filthy rich people in America with large houses and full stomachs that are miserable. There are some that are also happy, I presume (and herein lies my problem: there are happy rich people). There are starving families in other countries, living in huts and on a prayer, that have joy. There are modern day slaves that are miserable and others that are happy. All because of a need that some have filled and some don't, and it has nothing to do with bondage or food.

It was said to me, and I know I don't have this quote right though the meaning still stands, "A North Korean in the sex trafficking industry who is saved is in much less need from me than an American who is not."

People need love. When I envision giving money, I envision giving it out of love, and in love. Giving money and saving does not inherently equal love. Living simply does not mean giving love. What does someone else gain by you cleaning out your room and getting rid of all the things you don't need? Maybe you give all of that extra stuff to a second hand store to so it can be available to someone who needs it? Do they feel any love when they buy your old faded volleyball shirt because they can't afford their own?

When it comes to the issue of money, it is not just about saving and giving. It's about how and why you save and give. Someone else told me the other day that it's not about how big your house is, but how extravagant. You can have a big house with lots of rooms, and you can use those rooms to house those in need and use that large house for the Kingdom in as many ways as you can imagine, and the problem does not lie in the fact that you own a large house, but in how extravagant and indulgent you make it.

This is not a well formed idea. My opinion has not completely turned around. But I think there is something significant to be learned from the fact that people do not need money, though sometimes money can help if its result is love. If its result is Christ. People have greater needs: a father who gives gas money to their child but never says I love you hasn't really filled a need or given love. Love through money is not in living simply, giving to organizations, or spending wisely. A belief in that can lead to a lot of judgment. Being overly conscious with your money is to make it into an idol both by obsessively saving and being frugal and obsessively gaining it and spending. Save, spend, and give.

Be wise with your love, not your money.

4/11/11