A Money Observed, Part 2

I want stuff all the time. Like a lot of stuff. I've noticed something though. The more stuff I get the more I have to take care of it. I had no problem hooking up my old TV and just taking it wherever I needed it, but my new TV can’t be handled roughly. I make sure it stays in one spot and that when I have to move it, it’s moved very delicately. I even dust my new TV, making sure there's nothing wrong with it. I like my new TV, but the old one was simpler. It got by, and truth be told, I didn't really need a new TV (although I really like my TV now...). And when I bought a new computer, I didn't just replace it with another one that was the same. I got one with more bells and whistles that led to more maintenance and more headaches (I'm looking at you Sony). 

More stuff leads to more, well, problems. The more we have the more time we have to have to take care of it. 

Solomon considers the stuff people have in Ecclesiastes, which is a fascinating book if you've never read it. The King of Israel looks at his life and begins to realize that no matter how hard he works or how much good he accomplishes, he's going to end up dead just like the fools of the world and the people who don't do anything with their lives. As he ponders these things, his mind goes to deeper questions, like if everything is meaningless, then why is there suffering and pain? And as he questions God about the things in this world, Solomon concludes that life points us to “stand in awe of God”.

But Solomon again begins to ask what the meaning is. His focus in Chapter 5 is now on wealth. What makes this a great passage is that Solomon isn’t just some random dude. He’s the king of all Israel. His wealth knows no bounds.  But he states that “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless” (Ecc 5:10). Solomon comes to the conclusion that even wealth can’t make us happy. We can’t take it with us, and it only causes us more problems.

I often find that the problems I have spending time with God aren't because I forget, but rather, because I get distracted. I somehow find more pleasure in playing video games or reading some random article on the internet than I do spending time with the God who gave me life. As I've gotten older and had more stuff, I've found that the stuff is what gets in my way.

My prayer is that I find my material possessions "meaningless". Far too often I know I need to spend time in prayer and the Word, but I distract myself with something else. It's hard because I'm the kind of guy that likes to research things before I buy them, but I get too caught up in the research and the thing itself rather than just realizing that it's a thing.