Have you noticed how hard it is to deal with selfishness and its twin sister, materialism?  We all tend to be "I-specialists." A little boy was riding a tricycle with his sister standing on "the passenger carrier" over the rear axle. It made peddling a trifle harder. The little lad didn't want to share, so he retorted, "If one of us would get off, I could ride much better!" Yes, the modern aphorism on interpersonal relationships--"the trouble with us is me" -- still holds good. In rectifying such a situation, Paul says, "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves," Romans 12:10.

 

Do we really think that more is better?  The more we have, the more vulnerable we are to being "ripped off." The more we have, the more storage space we need. Remember the foolish farmer and his proposed bigger barns? The more we have, the more maintenance costs rise. The more we have, the greater our security risks. No matter how much we have, we can still only drive one car at a time, wear one set of clothes at a time and live in only one house at a time. We tend to think that "just a little more" and we could really be ecstatic, don't we? Wrong! To be happy we have to learn to be content with what we have, rather than grieve over what we don't have. Paul says "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want," Philippians 4:12.

 

Leo Tolstoy hit the nail on the head with his story, How Much Land Does A Man Need? The main character, Pahom, a peasant share-cropper, finally was able to acquire a small tract of land. He was able to provide for his family, but he yearned for more. He was able to purchase a little more, but still desired more. A stranger approached him one day and informed him that for one thousand rubles, he could purchase all the land he could encircle in one day. As is often stated today, he was told, "Conditions apply." There was a time limit--from sunup to sundown. It was mandatory at the end of the period to be back at the stake where he started from or he would lose it all. 

 

Pahom saw all the fertile farm land, the lakes, the forests, the valleys and the streams. First, he walked, then he ran as fast as he could go. He wanted to make sure that he obtained it all. The sun was beginning to sink in the west. He panicked. The idea that he would miss the deadline drove him. It compelled him to run faster and faster without taking time for nourishment or water. At last, he fell forward and grasped the stake from where he had started. All the  land was his! But, alas, the heat of the day and his extreme exhaustion was too much. The stake in his hand was in a dead man's grasp. His victory forged in greed had cost him the ultimate price--his life!  Pahom's servant dug a grave long enough and wide enough to bury his foolish master. The story closed with the words, "That was all the land he needed." Beware of where covetousness will lead us. The journey may be fun, but the destination a disaster. 

 

When a physician was asked how much his rich patient left when he died, he replied simply, "All of it!" We jockey for position and possession when we first start out. We gain a mansion on the hill. Later, we downsize to a condo or an apartment. Then we enter a retirement center. Eventually, if we live long enough, we end up with just one room, one bed, one closet and one chest-of-drawers. We are fortunate if we are able to hold all our memories locked up in our hearts. Then we die and what do we have then? Only what we are and what we gave away. If you are Christ's, you are fortunate indeed for he awaits you on the other side. If you have been generous and kind, you will receive the same treatment. Jesus said, "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy," Matthew 5:7.

 

Love you,

Al - "The Horne of Africa"

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