There's been a great deal of talk about the topic of greed lately. It's been all around us for months, even years now. I'd like to take a quick step back and look at what it really means to be "greedy." I know this will be highly unpopular and offensive to some, but then again...most of what I say is, so I guess it will be in keeping with my character. haha.
I've heard so many people railing against the "wealthy 1%" who are apparently the source of all evil in the world. I'm not even going to take the route of trying to explain that those wealthy people create jobs...that's a useless argument at this point. The problem I take is with people attempting to make poverty a virtue and wealth an inherent evil. Anyone who is wealthy or successful is automatically labeled "greedy."
We have an entire movement that has been going on in our country based on this "greed." People are horribly angry that the wealthy have so much and the poor have so little. I get that. Sort of. Should we be helping the poor, yes. But what they don't even consider is that they ARE in fact helping the poor. But these protesters seem to think that the rich should have to give away everything in order to "level the playing field."
I struggle with this because I, personally, believe that money is a resource. It is not an end into itself. Money is not good or evil. People can choose to use money for good or evil. I personally know many wealthy people who give extremely large amounts of money to charity. Noble individuals who, while they still possess much, would gladly give you the shirt off their back. I do not believe it is wrong for these people to be wealthy. They have worked hard and they are appreciative of what they have, so they give generously. In fact, most wealthy people I know are very aware of what it means to live with little, because that's how they started out their lives. While there are, in fact, greedy, wealthy people in the world, possessing wealth does not determine greed.
On the flip side, I know many poor people. Large numbers of these individuals take money from the government. (If you are in need- honestly in need, that's completely understandable, but we ALL know those who are abusing the system.) They are not working and often times not looking for work. They go through the food line to get food that has been donated by those "greedy, wealthy companies and individuals" and then complain because they wanted a turkey, not a ham...or they would never dream of eating potatoes, how dare someone suggest that they would. They look down their noses at volunteers who have sacrificed their time and money to support them all while texting on their expensive cell phones with perfectly manicured fingernails and the newest Jordans.
But they don't have enough. It's not fair because they don't have a lot of money and someone else does. Those evil "1%" are hogging all the money. Are they? Really? Do they really need to give you more of their hard-earned money so you can get a new XBox and sit in your house while your children run the streets and cause trouble?
And what about those are aren't "freeloading." What about people who are working hard day in and day out, but just don't make much money? My daddy worked his tail off every day of his life and provided for his family. We were never wealthy...but we were blessed. We had everything that we needed. We had each other. We had our faith. And my parents never hesitated to give to someone in need, even if the sacrifice would sting a little. He worked hard from when he was in high school until the day he retired in September. And he still helps out when anyone needs anything. Never...NEVER...did my daddy go stand outside some office building and insist that those people give him more money. NEVER did he complain that he wasn't getting "his fair share." NEVER would he take money he didn't earn or expect someone else to pay for him or his family. And NEVER did he show bitterness to those who had more money.
This is because my daddy understands what money is. It's just a resource. It's not to collect and hoard, it's to use. And we're given exactly what we need. 1 Timothy 6:8 says "For if we have food and clothing, with that we shall be satisfied." My children are learning about contentment this week in our schooling. And this struck me. We do not need more money to be satisfied. And longing for something more than what we need is the essence of greed. If a wealthy individual is satisfied with what he has been given and the poor individual is angry because he doesn't have enough to make him happy, even though he has what he NEEDS, who is the greedy one? Contentment can be found in any financial situation because contentment is not found in our finances. We CHOOSE to be content with what we have. Does that mean we don't work hard? No. Does that mean we don't give to those who have less? No. We are commanded to do both of those things. But we absolutely should not be looking at our neighbors and saying "It's not fair that they have so much. I want what they have."
Greed can be found in the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor. Greed is a disease of the heart, not the pocketbook. If you're feeling discontent, an inward examination may show a very different diagnosis than what you once thought.
