Sticks & Stones 4 – The Stone of Wanting a Bigger Stone
There is this thing about us as humans. When it comes to possessions there is never a stone big enough to satisfy what we want. When we talked about this on the Sunday at our church I had collected 5 stones to illustrate the thoughts about money and possessions.
You see we all have this crazy obsession with stones and we do not even know it. We work hard to get that first stone and we are so proud of ourselves. We show that stone off to anyone who will stop long enough to listen. We are excited about that stone and then we see a different stone. One that is bigger and all of the sudden the stone we loved becomes a reminder of what we do not have yet. So we work hard to get the next bigger stone and are even more excited to show off that shiny new rock. Until one day we see a rock that is shinier and bigger than the one we worked so hard to obtain. Then the cycle starts all over again. We will always be in search for a bigger stone.
Maybe we can talk about something that can help us figure out to find contentment with the stone that we have now. First, just a couple of thoughts about chasing stones. At the end of Solomon’s life, a man who had more wealth than most of us could even dream of having, he talks about chasing stones as a wasted pursuit. He writes in Ecclesiastes 1: 2 – 4, he writes: “Smoke, nothing but smoke. [That’s what the Quester says.] There’s nothing to anything—it’s all smoke. What’s there to show for a lifetime of work, a lifetime of working your fingers to the bone? One generation goes its way, the next one arrives, but nothing changes—it’s business as usual for old planet earth.”
Solomon reminds us that chasing after wealth is like trying to catch smoke. We work hard to have things that we will eventually leave behind for someone else. We are just geared to not be content with what we have. It can be good to use that motivation to bring ourselves up from where we are, but when it becomes the sole pursuit of our lives those stones will always be heavy. So we need to understand that we do not collect stones for the sake of the stones. We collect stones so we can take care of ourselves and those we can share our wealth with.
One of the strange things is that people will go into all kinds of debt to get a bigger and better stone. Meaning we appear to be wealthy and yet we are further behind than when the borrowing began. Solomon again reminds us in Proverbs 22:7, “The rich rule over the poor, and borrowers are servants to lenders.” We add imaginary stones to our collection and the weight becomes unbearable at times. We work so hard to impress people that we really do not even like that much. That is the crazy part of going into debt to get a bigger stone.
So how do we stop chasing stones and start building a life?
First, figure out the percentage you give to God or others
I believe in giving to our church and some other ministries. I do not apologize for my belief that when I share what I have that God gives back to us. Not like on Television where they try to get some money from you and then promise God will give you so much more. I believe that if I give to God first, that shows my respect and gratitude I have for his blessings. I believe that God gets involved in what I involve Him in. So if I honor Him with the first part of my money He can help me find contentment with what I have been blessed with.
Second, start to save something, anything
Proverbs 21:20 says, “The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets.” It may seem strange, but saving anything at first is just a step we need to take. We cannot look at what little we can save and not see it as important. It may mean we keep our stone for a little while longer, but at least it is a stone we can carry. After all, if we save for that next stone, then we can own it free and clear with no extra weight. When we realize that stones are meant to build our lives not weight them down.
Third, take time to figure out what to do with what’s left
“I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving. God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done.” 2 Corinthians 9:7-8 (MSG) We have to map out a framework for our stones. You like how I said that instead of make a budget? We all hate the thought of boxing ourselves in with a budget. We need to figure out how to build a life with the stones we have. The easiest way is to set goals for our money.
When it comes to money and stones the one thing we need to remember is this: “You can either tell your money where to go, or wonder where it went.”