Desiring Abundance Amid Scarcity (Pursuit) – Part 2

The last moments before my 24-hour flight were marked by whispers of hope, blessings, tears of joy, words of encouragement, and firm hugs that resounded louder than words. The monochromatic pictures my younger self could only dream of or color in a magazine were about to manifest in real life.  I was coming to America, the land of opportunity, home to the world’s wealthiest people and of course, the largest economy in the world. I was coming not as a princess of Zamunda, I was just another international student. But the thought of living in America already felt like being one step closer to a wealthy life.

Before that, I had only known a world full of financial scarcity and lack. Yet, rich in community, faith, and a sense of belonging. We were taught that money doesn’t buy happiness and it changes people. Relatives who had made a fortune and suddenly had no time for their family were perfect examples of what not to be. I believed it wholeheartedly; but when I got here, everything seemed to happen in 2x. People drove fast, talked fast, and would never wait to hear your response after saying “hi”. Perhaps the most shocking thing was having to schedule meetings with everyone. Very quickly, I learned that time was money and money was always the talk of the day from the news headlines to casual conversations, to job prospects. Before long, I was all geared up ready to make my own money. You know what they say, “money makes the world go round.”

Success in our world is often measured by wealth and material possessions. For some, like me, the allure of wealth can be especially enticing. It promises opportunities, security, and a way out of poverty not just for you but for a long line of relatives too.  So, when my degree was done and a chance to live and work in America presented itself, I eagerly seized it. The goal was to work hard to become wealthy. Before long, the pace of my life began to shift. I was rushing to eat, driving above the speed limit and my patience dwindled significantly. I began to understand the correlation between time and money. If your pay is hourly, you’d value every minute. If you are paid a salary and required to work a certain minimum number of hours, you’d value badging in and out at a specific time. 

Then came a shift in my way of thinking. I was more informed about inflation, the revenue of tech companies, interest rates, standard of living, gas, and food prices than I was about my well-being. My daily prayers became rushed, my Bible started gathering dust on the shelf, and my connection to God felt distant. Life now looked like work first, bills, then everything else after that. Sometimes I wonder how you can not put money first in a society that is designed to drain every penny you make.

Let’s make this clear; money is good. Money answers all things (Ecclesiastes 10:19). We established in part one of our series “Desiring Abundance Amid Scarcity” that we need money to meet our basic human needs and those of the people in our lives. Money is a tool we are given to use but most of us are letting money use us instead. It controls our time, our focus, our sense of gratitude, and even our character. It entangles us in a web of anxiety and worry, as we strive to amass and protect it. Our trust starts to shift from God’s providence to our ability to foot the bill. As an immigrant, it is especially easy to start thinking “The system works, what do I need God for?”. This, I find to be a major issue with our mindset towards money. Billy Graham said, “If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life”.

What is your attitude towards money? Do you treat it as a tool, or do you serve it? Fundamentally, the earth and everything in it belongs to God, money included (Psalm 24:1). God has given these things to us for our enjoyment (1 Timothy 6:17-19). The irony is that we spend our lives working to get money to enjoy life. This tells me there is an error somewhere in the systems of this world. One thing is sure, these systems are set up to take our time in exchange for money. Without enough time on our hands, we can’t focus much on ourselves, anyone else, or anything else. 

For me, I began to make excuses about not having enough time to pray or study the word. After a 10–12-hour shift, I can barely get time to prepare a meal or talk to friends and family before I fall asleep. Talking to God becomes “inconvenient’ because we can never seem to find “the right time” or any time at all. A quick Google search and you’d find that a master is “a person with the ability or power to use, control, or dispose of something.” If money has such power and control over our time, relationships, and quality of life, then it certainly is a master over us.

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24).

How did we get caught up in a never-ending chase after something that was created to serve our needs? While I cannot tell how I know that this journey never ends in fulfillment. Money is never enough, always scarce and limited in supply. No wonder billionaires still wake up at 5 am to work. It keeps economists up at night predicting, architects designing, engineers and builders creating, and doctors and nurses picking up, mending, and trying to restore the effects of our endless marathon. For me, the allure of “more” still whispers sometimes but I have chosen a new perspective. It’s not about forsaking money or success but rather choosing to pursue the creator and not his creation. We were created for more than just the pursuit of riches; we were created to know and love God. When we prioritize our relationship with God, everything else falls into place (Matthew 6:33). Wealth becomes a byproduct of a healthy and blessed life and not vice versa. 

Remember this: “The blessings of the Lord maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it”. ~ Proverbs 10:22

Take some time to read this passage of scripture which summarizes why we ought to pursue God and not money in a much better way than I could have.

Matthew 6:19-33

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,[a] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,[b] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[c]?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.