Rich Like Me

How free are you to decide what you will do with your life?

He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. - Mark 10:20-22

Today's Gospel reading is about a rich man who has trouble imagining giving up everything.  Jesus tells his followers that giving up one's wealth is extremely hard, harder than pushing a camel through the eye of a needle.

When we hear the story it is easy to think it pertains to someone else, not to us.  After all, we say, we are not rich.  Not like this guy, anyway.

If we ask ourselves just how much we are willing to give up to follow Jesus, we might see that this message is much more universal than it appears.

The first time I realized how much I had to lose was when I lost my job and needed to look for another.  The idea of bringing in less money than I had made before was frightening.  How could I live on less?

With each job prospect, I assessed my finances, asking myself what I would need to change to accept the difference in pay.

It wasn't until I pictured myself with nothing coming in that I was able to see how much of a slave I was to the things I had acquired in life.

I think that is the message Jesus wants us to hear.  Imagine yourself with nothing and then see how much you need to do the work God gave you.

If we have no restrictions, if there is nothing holding us back, we can do amazing things, and we can discover that we can be very happy with less stuff.

I don't think the reading is intended to be an indictment against wealth as much as it is a reminder that we are tempted and distracted by possessions.

It is easier in some ways to give up everything and start over than it is to go through all we have and select one or two things at a time to give away.

So, if you had to start over, how much stuff would you need?

As Lent approaches, that may be a good question to ponder.  With far less to burden us, we just might feel richer.

More to come...