Squeeze!
Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
~ Matthew 19:23-24
Now that’s not a verse you see embroidered on a pillow in the waiting room of your local Wealth Manager. (Sorry financial advisor friends, I couldn’t resist. ;) But let’s be honest… money is a singular force in our lives. Sometimes an outright dominant force, and often it carries an emotional squeeze. Although Jesus honored the practical needs of our lives and promised to provide for them, he seemed to have a particularly dim view of the default role that money takes in our psyche, individually and corporately.
Before we go there, I’d like to get vulnerable: For the last 20 years of my journey, there has probably not been another fear that has stalked me as constantly as financial fear. About a decade ago, we almost lost our house in a particularly difficult year, and I have felt the haunting ever since… the angst of “will we have enough”? Lots of prayer, tears, and life changes since, I have to say that we have been graciously provided for—but those questions still lurk in the shadows and continue to beckon me toward complete trust and dependency. Which is probably the point.
By my count, Jesus made at least 26 direct or indirect references to wealth and poverty, and his tone toward money is cautionary at best. He consistently challenges the rich and blesses the poor, and he carries an intuitive awareness that money is the greatest of all counterfeits. Money is not bad; it can be used for great good; and it plays an essential role in life on planet earth. But I call it a counterfeit in that it appeals tenaciously to all three of our core human needs, promising to meet them but ultimately failing.
The need for Approval & Affection: Money promises that it will give us the admiration and access we desire.
The need for Safety & Security: Money promises that it will protect us from threat and give us comfort.
The need for Power & Control: Money promises that it will grant us influence over people and circumstance.
And while money does indeed deliver some of the perks we desire, it cannot salve our deeper hunger for belonging, contentment, and agency. God has carefully and kindly designed us such that our deepest cravings can only be met in divine intimacy.
Money is a practical tool, and more potent than most in this world, yet it is also treacherous, and Jesus invites us to view it with appropriate skepticism. To recognize, even, that money is our most common distraction and obstruction to the life of a Kingdom that operates on a completely different currency.
So what are our unspoken beliefs about money?
Every one of us has been programmed, first by our family of origin and later by our community and the culture at large, to have certain (usually unnamed) mindsets about finances. Maybe money was the driving force in your family when you were a kid. Or maybe your family was mired in cycles of poverty… that you either imbibed or rejected. Maybe you were told that you can have love or money, but not both! As a result, the story of money has landed in your soul with weight: perhaps entitlement, perhaps aversion. Are you feeling the squeeze?
I’ll leave you with two key things Jesus had to say about money:
“The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears [Kingdom truth], but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful” (Mt. 13:22). Financial worries easily chokes out the freedom God longs to give us.
“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For [humans] run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mt. 6:31-33). Both greed, on one the hand, and fear, on the other, are soul enemies.
Do you feel some tension around this theme? I do. Kellie and I are transitioning away from a for-profit business that has provided a reliable stream of income… toward a non-profit based on uncertain participation and donations. If we hit certain thresholds, we can pay ourselves a salary and expand the scope of our work; if not, well, it won’t be pretty. It’s easy to talk about money being problematic… but we know that the lack of money can be problematic too. How do we thread that needle?
I’m not entirely sure, but here are a few benchmarks that I believe are fully reliable:
God is our Source and faithful provider. Everything we truly need will be given. Receive what’s given with gratitude.
Money is a fickle companion—don’t let it get your eye off the ball of true value. Know what matters most.
Worry is a complete waste of energy; it gives nothing and takes everything. Don’t do it.
So can a camel squeeze through the eye of a needle? Jesus says it’s impossible… but possible (Mt. 19:26). It takes some very conscious internal work to right-size our relationship with money. Let’s work on that together!
growing the soul
Take a few minutes to name the money mindsets you grew up with and how those show up in your life today. How are those beliefs serving you, practically and spiritually? Any changes you want to make? Talk this through with a spouse or trusted friend.
serving the world
One of the most effective tools for right-sizing our relationship with money includes the freedom to give it away generously, without worry. Think of someone who needs your generosity today.
takeaway
Trust the Giver.