When we lack certain things, the joy of living is diminished. In
some instances we may become severely distressed and even
incapacitated by such lack. When we are sick, in other words,
when we lack good health, it is usually not a happy circumstance
and we do all we can to regain our health. When someone is poor,
that is, when they lack money and material possessions, life is
not very enjoyable. Such a person is not able to live the way
they wish or do the things they want. Poverty oppresses and
incapacitates. As individuals and as nations, we all are desirous
to distance ourselves from poverty.
Likewise, life is not so full and joyful when we fail to find
happiness and fulfillment in relationships and in our work. (By
relationships, I mean relationship with God and relationship with
our fellow human beings). The deep desires we have to commune
with deity and to love and be loved by others are emotional needs
we are born with. And so we find that human beings experience
want in three identifiable areas. Life requires us to cope with
physical, material and spiritual wants.
The saying, "health is wealth" implies that someone in good
health can be said to have physical wealth. When a person has a
lot of money and material possessions we describe him or her as
being materially wealthy. In the same vein, when someone finds
happiness and fulfillment in relationships and in their work,
they can be said to possess spiritual wealth. And this brings us
to the concept of total wealth. To have total wealth is to be
completely free from any form of lack, be it physical, material
or spiritual. This is the holistic model of success. A person is
truly wealthy only when he or she has gained total wealth.
In general, people tend to be primarily concerned with their
material wellbeing. Hence they focus on striving for material
wealth. But thanks to Jane Fonda, the keep fit buff. In the last
few decades, Americans and others around the globe have realized
the need to actively pursue wealth of the physical kind. There is
now an awareness of the health risks inherent in the sedentary
life style engendered by technological advancement. These days,
being healthy is not just about being free from sickness. One has
to be physically fit. Lots of people are now adopting the
proactive approach of exercising regularly to maintain good
health and keep fit.
However, acquiring spiritual wealth is one goal most people
cannot be said to be striving hard to attain. And to think that
this ought to be our priority. When someone gains spiritual
wealth, they are guaranteed to also gain material and physical
wealth. If you have any reservations about this assertion, then
listen to the wise counsel of one of the world's greatest
spiritual luminaries, Jesus Christ of Nazareth:
"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 important than food, and the body more important than
clothes? 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? Who of you by worrying can
add a single hour to his life?
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the
field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not
even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
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, O you of little faith? So do not worry saying, 'What
shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
For the pagans run after 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."
(Taken from the Bible (NIV), Mathew 6:25-33).
But what is there to lose if someone chooses not to bother with
the pursuit of spiritual wealth? The answer to this question can
be found by taking a close look at the lives of some prominent
individuals.
When it comes to fame and fortune, very few people can match
Michael Jackson. He rose so high as a star that the tag
'superstar' was just not good enough for him and so he has been
dubbed 'megastar'. The singer has undoubtedly raked in fabulous
amounts as earnings from record sales worldwide. But in spite of
his stupendous career success, he has not found happiness and
fulfillment in close relationships. His marriage to Priscilla
Presley did not prove to be blissful. He has been involved in
other relationships that ended on a sour and acrimonious note
with settlements taking place in and out of court. Michael
Jackson may rank as one of the richest and most famous men in the
world, but he certainly is not one of the happiest. Riches and
popularity are simply not enough. We need spiritual wealth to
guarantee happiness and fulfillment in life.
The late Princess Diana had everything going for her, it would
seem. She became a member of one of the world's most loved and
respected royal families by marriage. In terms of material wealth
and social status, her union with British royalty catapulted her
to the very top. However, the love of God and fellow man, which
are pointers to spiritual wealth, were not particularly evident
in her private life. In close relationships, happiness and
fulfillment eluded her. She slid from the position of dream
princess to the level of adulterous spouse and then chose to tag
along as girlfriend to a wealthy businessman. We all know the
tragic end to her story. She was killed in a car crash while on a
trip with her lover.
As monarch of an oil producing Arab State, the late King Hussein
of Jordan enjoyed the affluence and influence that come with his
position. But while all was well materially, he was wanting in
physical wealth. Even the best doctors in the United States
could not save him from the cancer that put an end to his reign
while he was still in his sixties. Money cannot always secure
good health much less procure longevity. Only the possession of
spiritual wealth will enable us attain and maintain happiness,
good health and success in life.
In "The Parable of the Rich Fool", Jesus confirms that there is a
price to pay when we fail to make acquiring spiritual wealth our
first priority, (Luke 12:13-21):
Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to
divide the inheritance with me." Jesus replied, "Man, who
appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" Then he said to
them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a
man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man
produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I
have no place to store my crops.' "Then he said, 'This is what
I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and
there I will store all my grains and my goods. And I will say to
myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years.
Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."'
But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be
demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for
yourself?' This is how it will be with anyone who stores up
things for himself but is not rich towards God."
If the reader is still not convinced of the wisdom of striving
for spiritual wealth, the statement I am about to quote should
settle the matter. It was made by someone who has chased after
the material as well as the spiritual kind of wealth.
Sir John Templeton is one of America's most successful financial
investors. He is reputed to have created some of the world's
largest and most successful international investment funds.
Later, he sold his various Templeton Funds to the Franklin Group
for $440 million. Now in his nineties, he is a fulltime
philanthropist. Through the John Templeton Foundation, which he
established, he gives away about $40 million a year to funding
work aimed at discovering and advancing scientific knowledge
about the spiritual aspect of life. For his many accomplishments,
he was knighted Sir John by Queen Elizabeth II in 1987.
Here is what this extraordinary individual has to say about what
the pursuit of spiritual wealth has done to his life: "I focus on
spiritual wealth now, and I am busier, more enthusiastic, and
more joyful than I have ever been."
(Culled from http://www.templeton.org).
In terms of quality of life, we all want the best for ourselves
and total wealth is the very best that life has to offer us. Be
wise, go for it.
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