In today’s world, we praise and celebrate people with money.
Magazines rank them, television networks and websites celebrate their success. Books are written about how to join them.
Closer to home, people with money are often treated differently in our local organizations and at our dinner parties. Most people, it seems to me, would like to join them and have extra money in the bank.
In fact, if you were to ask a roomful of people, “How many of you would like to be rich?” Almost every hand would go up.
Having a lot of money is a symbol of achievement in our society that most people aspire to acquire.
Even from a young age, many of us fantasized about having a lot of money when we get older and how awesome that would be. And as we get older, it is something we work hard to achieve.
But let’s pause for a moment and entertain a new, and slightly uncomfortable, thought:
Is having a lot of money really something we should be proud of?
Why are we celebrating it? Why are we chasing it? Maybe it’s not something to proud of… maybe it’s something we should be embarrassed about instead?
Before I go any further, let me start with two assumptions about money that should get us thinking differently:
1. There are, almost always, outside factors that played a role in one’s accumulation of money.
Many people who have money were born with it—and I’m not always talking about inheriting a fortune. (Merely starting life in the middle class makes living a middle class lifestyle infinitely easier to achieve.)
And there are other factors, outside one’s control, that almost certainly resulted in one’s accumulation of excess: the country or city of our birth, the families we were born into, world events, even the innate talents and abilities we were given at birth play a part.
These advantages often pave a smoother road to prosperity for some than for others.
Of course, this isn’t to downplay the hard work that someone might put in to acquire wealth, it’s just an acknowledgment that there were other factors, outside your control, that contributed to that accumulation.
Which brings me to my second point:
2. Money doesn’t always measure effort (or talent).
Having a lot of money does not necessarily mean you’ve outworked others or are more talented.
In my life, I’ve encountered countless individuals, particularly in the nonprofit sector, who are incredibly skilled and dedicated. They could have potentially made lots of money but chose instead to funnel their talents toward noble causes. Some, knowing full-well, what they were giving up to pursue the work they chose.
Additionally, I think of the countless parents who’ve prioritized raising their children over building bank balances. They, too, have made a significant impact with their work and talents, it’s just not reflected in their net worth.
They chose to chase something else instead.
I want to mention those two points because I think they are important in helping us reframe the accumulation of money in the first place.
But it’s this next thought that really makes me wonder if having a lot of money is something to be proud of:
3. Every dollar held in our bank account is a dollar that could be used to help someone else.
Consider this, when we hold onto more money than we need, we do so at the expense of others. Our excess could provide food, family, education, work-training, and/or opportunity to people who desperately need it.
Over 25% of the world’s population lives on less than $4/day. Literally, every extra dollar in our bank account is a dollar that could be spent to meet the needs of others.
And here we are, with extra money sitting in bank accounts, investments, or even just things we bought and forgot about. Holding onto extra money means missed opportunities. I wonder if the awareness of that reality should motivate us more than it does.
Keeping more money for ourselves than we need is a sign that we could be helping others, but are choosing not to. There may be any number of reasons for that decision (and some of them might be healthy), but a large number of reasons are not (greed and worry come to mind right off the top of my head).
Now, I can’t claim to know the personal circumstances of every individual reading this.
But perhaps today, more than anything else, I just want to raise a question that you’ve maybe never considered:
Is having a lot of money really something to be proud of?
Or is it something we should actually be embarrassed about—given all the need around us?
Before I end, it might be helpful for me to clarify a few things that I’m not saying:
- I’m not glamorizing poverty or suggesting it’s a more virtuous state. All financial states come with their challenges and lessons, and poverty isn’t inherently more noble.
- I’m not advising against saving money. Just as ants store up food for the winter, it’s wise for us to prepare for the future. I’m just wondering if there’s a point where saving for our unknown future should be more heavily weighed against someone’s actual need today.
- This isn’t an article discouraging ambition. Every single one of us should be working as hard as we can to become the best versions of ourselves in order to bring about the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Hard work (paid or unpaid) is not something to be avoided.
- I’m not arguing for earning less. Everyone should earn a fair wage for their efforts. This isn’t about purposefully earning less than you are worth or the value you bring to an organization. If you’re doing a job, you deserve to be paid well for it. I’m just wondering where we should find pride with the money that we’ve earned.
- Nor is this a political stance. Regardless of the system of government, disparities are going to exist. This isn’t about advocating for a political system that forces individual decisions, this is about each of us making decisions with the financial wealth we have—regardless of the government system.
- This isn’t an article about “those rich people”. This is a conversation for us all to consider and evaluate the excess we have accumulated. We are wealthy. And the person’s financial ethic we should care most about is our own.
Again, I’m not going to pretend to have all the answers for everyone’s unique financial circumstances.
I’m just wondering in a world where financial excess is the goal of many, is that even something we should be trying to achieve?
Is having a lot of money really something to be proud of?
Maybe it’s revealing more about our heart than we realize—and not in a good way.
Jennifer says
Thankyou Joshua for one of the most thought provoking articles I’ve read.Seems like it’s stirred up a bit of a hornet’s nest judging by some of the comments.But this is good.We need to question our motives regarding money and why we look up to the wealthy.My Dad told me the bible says ‘tis easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.’
Kat says
I highly recommend Peter Singer’s book, The Life You Can Save.
Linda says
Thank you Joshua and Liz as well. Something for each of us to ponder individually. Not to use to judge. That’s God’s s job not ours, right? Good conversation starter for my personal prayer time and an excellent way to enter the New Year. Thanks.
Victoria says
This is one of the best posts you’ve ever written, thank you. This is my main reason for minimalism.
Gerald "Jerry" Iversen says
My spouse and I are financial secure in retirement. We both received modest inheritances. We are practitioners of voluntary simplicity and promoters of financial literacy. We tithe our income using QCD’s (Qualified Charitable Distributions), which are part of RMD’s (Required Minimum Distributions) from the IRA’s we bought before Roth-IRA’s. We believe that OverConsumption and OverPopulation are the primary drivers of the climate crisis. This is NOT racist! The Earth has too many people no matter what color they are. We are not apologetic about our “wealth.” We use it wisely as the base to benefit others — our family and the global family. We promote Joshua Becker’s and others’ blogs through our regular email blasts. Peace. SimpleLivingWorks.org
Sun Shine says
Over population? Climate crisis? Sounds to me like your spiritual life is in crisis if you believe those lies. Let’s start at the beginning Genesis 1 – In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. It is obvious to any rational mind that you can’t have the entire universe and no cause. You can’t have personhood without a person creating it. You can’t have personality without a personality. You can’t have intellect without an intellect. It’s insane to think nobody times nothing equals everything. But it’s a form of necessary insanity for people who don’t want accountability, don’t want a transcendent Judge, don’t want to be held to a standard of moral law.
Everyone knows there’s a God because He’s visible in His creation. You look at the microcosm or the macrocosm of creation—and we know so much about it now because of science. They know God in the sense that they know He’s there; it’s obvious. But, “They didn’t honor Him as God or give thanks,” they became empty—they emptied their minds of God, and so their minds were fully emptied, “and their foolish heart was darkened”—the lights went out. “Professing to be wise, they became”—what?—“fools.” They’re all fools. All those people collected at climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland, trying to save the planet, who reject God—are fools. They are fools. You want to waste your opportunity in this world, try to save the planet. What’s infinitely more important is to save yourself from divine judgment. That salvation is only found in Christ.
GK says
This is the funniest thing I’ve read all day. Thank you for the mid-day laughs.
Cathy says
Says the man holding a baby in his profile pic. For a mere human to believe he has the wisdom to decide when a created life is worthy is something I’ll never grasp. Only the One who breathes life into each and EVERY one of us is capable. He knits each of us in our mother’s womb, including you and that precious baby in your arms.
Surprised says
Interesting- the comment counter says there are 44 comments, but I can see less than 10 here. What happened? Were you deleting comments again?
joshua becker says
There are no deleted comments, the page just shows 10 at a time (the most recent) to make scrolling to the bottom easier. Click on “older comments” to see another page of them. Hope that helps.
Linnea says
Really good post! And interesting to read all the comments!
The productivity that comes from technology developed over time makes it so that we theoretically don’t have to work much at all. But since we don’t share the proffits equally the ones who don’t get a job needs to create one, by making a product/service and convincing people they need to buy it. This is the root of all major problems, in my opinion. Many work to hard, and others are struggling to find a job. Making some people desperate which is dangerous and should concern us all. Giving to ones neighbour is kind. But the problem is so much bigger and the system could be another system if we could se it and talk about it. The world is now a place where we praise work above all else. Money is used to show how good workers and consumers we are. Why should we be? Who is profiting from the system? Not us ❤️
Naida says
Very well said and bought provoking, Liz.
Naida says
A gracious look at a potentially difficult subject. In a gentle way you have reminded us “ to whom much has been given, much will be required.” Thanks for inspiring messages to move us forward and upward.
Debra says
❤️a favorite scripture
Liz says
This is a subject that has been on my heart for a number of years. It makes is as Americans in general uncomfortable. It makes those of us who would identify as Christian even more so. I appreciate what you have written. I often wonder if the excessive wealth is the reason why the western church does not talk of the great things God is doing and moving, because we are worshiping money rather than Christ. I have heard the excuses and justifications, and I struggle with both greed and hoarding. Lately I have been asking myself, “if I give up all of the things that I tell myself I need, how much more use will I be to my Father in heaven, because I am no longer weighed down by earthly treasures?” I do not want to enter eternity with regret of seeing all of the people I could have been a blessing to, but instead I chose to hold onto it for a fancier car, or something that I would purchase only to stick it in a cupboard. Randy Alcorn’s book, “The Treasure Principle” is one that I have read several times. I think Paul’s advice to give generously, but not to the point where you then require aid. We can do better. The landfills and the trash in the waterways attest to it. It is as much a spiritual battle as it is a mental one. More of a thing when I already have enough will not make me happier, yet I find myself scrolling through marketplace more than I care to admit. A good challenge indeed. Thank you for this article.
Aileen says
Very well said Liz. Thank you. I feel the same.
Teri says
Excellent points, Liz. And well-stated.
Kevin McGrane Sr. says
Well said. Blessings.