How rich are you?

Personal worth and having enough are issues that have consumed humankind for centuries, and one of the reasons we know this is because on numerous occasions, Jesus found himself addressing these very issues over two thousand years ago.

Take, for example, his encounter on the road to Jerusalem with an unnamed man whose request of Jesus was, “Tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” (Luke 12:13-21) Discerning that greed was the motivator behind the man’s request, and refusing to get sucked into the family feud that most surely existed, Jesus chose instead to illustrate his point — “Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions” — by sharing a parable about true riches and the kind of security that lasts.

At the heart of Jesus’ parable was a rich man who had a particularly good year and a harvest so plentiful that he lacked sufficient room to store all of his crops. Wondering out loud what he should do to address his dilemma, ultimately he decided that what he needed was more space to accommodate his “stuff” so he would have plenty for years to come and be able to sit back, prop up his feet, eat, drink and be merry. Mind you, the rich man was not an evil man: he had not cheated anyone or stolen anything in order to acquire his abundance, nor had he lied or bad-mouthed any of his neighbors in pursuit of riches. His problem, however, was that he failed to recognize how much he had benefited from good luck — weather that enabled his crops to thrive — and failed to share his good fortune with others.

We will never be truly rich if we insist upon clutching on so tightly to what we have that we fail to see our neighbors’ need and share our abundance with them. The path to joy is not hoarding, but sharing. Yes, it is important that we have enough to live and provide for our families and loved ones, but the sticking point always seems to revolve around knowing just what constitutes “enough.” Whenever I have asked the question, “How much is enough?” the answer I get is usually, “Just a little bit more than I already have.” Such a mentality leads to constant striving for more: accumulating more, worrying more about how we will guard and protect what we have, and becoming more self-absorbed.

The rich man in Jesus’ parable thought he had it made. He was convinced his future was secure, but then, without warning, he learned that his time was up and the question haunting him was, “And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” When all is said and done, we cannot take it with us, and contrary to what many would have us believe, those who die with the most toys do not win. The ultimate leveler of the playing field is death, and woe to those who have stored up treasures for themselves but have not been rich toward God.

Clearly, preparing for the future is important, but all the preparing in the world cannot prevent tragedy from occurring or a terminal diagnosis from being rendered. As people of faith, we prepare best for the future not by accumulating stuff, but by recognizing that our preparing must always involve more than simply looking out for ourselves. In order to be rich toward God, we are challenged to prepare for the future by living each day fully and gratefully, by making room in our lives for God, who desires to “hold ‘ore our being absolute sway,” and by accumulating riches that come as a result of investing in the well-being of the neighbor God has called us to love. Now more than ever, the truth of Jesus’ teaching must be taken to heart and put into action if the world God dreamed of is to survive and thrive!