For what does it profit a man to gain the world and lose his life?

Over the past few weeks, as I’ve gotten closer and closer to figuring out what I’ll be doing for the next several years of my life, I’ve given heavy thought to how important money is to me. We like to dodge the subject, and call it “safety”, or “comfort,” but we all know all we’re really concerned about is how big our salary will be. We want to be able to spend what we want, when we want. We want to be able to impress our friends, and make our parents proud, and find fulfillment in material wealth. It’s an old, tired subject in the church, but I’d like to share a recent reflection imparted to me by our very own

Missy Abouelkheir:

We don’t really want money or riches, we want freedom.

What all of the things I just mentioned above have in common is that they reflect some kind of metric of personal achievement. They reflect our need to be fulfilled and feel we’ve accomplished something truly great. Missy’s point, ironically, was that chasing riches is an ultimately very risky investment. We’re not sure if we’ll make it. What she suggests, and what ultimately is supported by the Bible, is that we chase virtue.

It’s important to understand that these goals are not mutually exclusive; though where they do differ is their effect on our ability to be free. Chasing God’s virtue frees us from any temporal concerns, and understanding that “All good gifts come from the Father of Lights” gives us the boldness to happen upon our true earthly purpose – to achieve what God wants to use us for.

One of my favorite Gospels from the Agbeya reads “Sell what you have, give alms to the poor. Provide yourselves money bags that do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no their approaches and no moth corrupts.” This world is a world of competition, depreciation, and volatility. No one can promise you riches (unless your Dad can give you “a small loan of a million dollars”). And even that doesn’t promise that you’ll keep it. Moreover, you will find yourself enslaved, not liberated.

The point of what I’m saying isn’t to advise everyone to drop out of college and go join and become monks and nuns. It is; however, in the hopes that you’ll reflect on your goals. Do they have purpose? Will they share Christ’s love for you with the world around you? When you are old, will you look back and think that all of your late nights studying, your networking, your time away from your family and friends, served something other than yourself?

Sometimes we get ourselves into a mindset where all we see are people corrupted by their money and power, and monks and bishops who have renounced financial success completely. While the monks and bishops live a beautiful life, Christ may have other plans for you. Look at Zacchaeus, a man who was the chief tax collector of his city. He was a rich guy, but when it came down to it, he didn’t attach importance to his money, and gave half of it away in his pursuit for God. Look at your own parents and mentors. Look at your friends around you, and your role models.

Job was “among the greatest of all the peoples of the East.” Yet even he prized his virtue, his blamelessness, and his uprightness, above all material wealth. He prized his relationship with God even above his own physical health. Men like Job emanate happiness from within no matter the state of their possessions. My hope is to convey the futility of building the foundation of your self-worth on what kind of clothes you can afford. Most importantly, remember that there is one true path alone to freedom – a life in Jesus Christ.

Pray for me,

William Zakhary