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Today's
Meditation:
Sometimes
I wish that money weren't an issue in my life, and that
means that I wish I had enough to take care of all of our
needs without worrying about whether there will be enough
money left when the bills come due. Sometimes I think
that if I had just saved more money systematically as I went
through life, I would be in a position in which money
weren't an issue.
But
then I think about the nature of money--most religious
leaders warn against stockpiling possessions, and money is a
possession. Spending a lot of energy trying to save
cash takes away from other pursuits, such as helping other
people and showing kindness to our neighbors. These
are the things of lasting value, the things that make
a life truly successful.
On
the day I die, would I be prouder to stand there and say
"I have a lot of money in the bank," or would I be
prouder to say "I've contributed to making other
people's lives easier or more fulfilling"? I know
the answer to that one. Every single day that we live,
we have the opportunity to help someone else. We can
encourage, we can compliment, we can lend a hand carrying
something or taking care of some chore for that
someone. We can teach someone how to do something, or
we can give them moral support as they learn
elsewhere. The number of ways that we can give to
others truly is unlimited, and we can make ourselves very
rich if we can focus our energies on these things.
Yes,
it's nerve-wracking. We have creditors. We can't
stop earning and paying money just to perform altruistic
deeds. But we can keep a sense of perspective.
One of the most important lessons I ever learned in my life
came in three short words. A friend who was the father
of six children took them all once to an amusement park, and
they invited me along--and they even paid my way. That
evening when we were talking about the day, I mentioned how
expensive it must have been. With a wry half-smile, he
said simply, "It's only money."
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