Welcome to Brothers and Sisters, the weekly meetup for prayer* and community at Daily Kos. We put an asterisk on pray* to acknowledge that not everyone uses conventional religious language, but may want to share joys and concerns, or simply take solace in a meditative atmosphere. Anyone who comes in the spirit of mutual respect, warmth and healing is welcome.
Many of us admire the wisdom of Meteor Blades' sig line: Don't tell me what you believe, show me what you DO and I will tell you what you believe."
And one of the best sermons I ever heard started this way: "If you want to see a description of what you truly value, look at your checkbook. The way you spend your money is a more honest presentation of what you think is important in life than any words you say."
Both those statements remind me of my favorite quote from Christian scripture:
"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
This scripture passage has been the guiding principle of my life for decades.
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and thieves break in and steal. Rather store up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where moth and rust do not consume, and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matt. 6:19-21
Let's leave aside, in the spirit of inclusion, the issue of whether there is an afterlife. I do not think one has to believe in a literal heaven to connect to the essential truth of the above statement.
On one level it seems obvious that it makes sense that I would "spend" the hours of my life, the money in my pocket, and my mental energy, on things that are 1) important to me and 2) will outlast me in some way. Children are an obvious example of this, but those of us who have no children have other means of legacy building: involvement in the arts, working for inclusive justice, and various other-directed activities that make the world a better place for us and for those who will come after us.
But just look around and see how many people pour out their daily energy in rat race pursuit of the bread that does not satisfy. Millions working to earn status and money just for the status of having money. Working to get a corner office, or a loftier title, or a younger secretary. Or so that they can buy a nicer car than the neighbor, or a more expensive watch, or a bigger house. Or so that they can get their picture in the paper or their phone calls returned by other rats in the same maze.
Endless numbers of people spend their lives in the pursuit of materialism, and fame and power for their own sake, and then wonder why they feel so empty. It is heartbreaking to see people trudge through life in the pursuit of things they think they value because they have been taught to value them, while deep inside their spirits cannot be deceived. What is the point of all they have gained? They can't take it with them and it won't live on after them.
Then there are others who do not even realize that they are merely talking a good game while not backing it up with their treasure. I know well meaning women who believe they are charitably generous, and it is an important part of their identity. But they spend less time volunteering for their charities than they spend shopping for perfume and makeup and they spend more money on shoes and handbags than they donate to their causes. Whether they acknowledge it or not, fashion is a higher priority in their hearts, because fashion is actually where their energy goes, where their spare time is spent, where their treasure is.
As for my sisters and brothers who are barely keeping their heads above water, survival-level existence takes away a lot of choices. On the other hand, when all your resources go toward just trying to survive, it does make the statement that you feel your continued survival is important.
I don't have a lot of money, I deliberately rejected my one shot at local fame, and I have very little power outside a tiny circle of influence. My lack of ambition has surprised some people. (I am ambitious, just not in the areas they expect, or the areas they would choose for themselves.) I made a decision early on in life not to store up treasure in certain worldly areas. One reason I have very little treasure on earth in because money flows through me like water: I spend what discretionary money I have on intangible experiences that bless people (and that bless me as well). I live in a less expensive area, buy new clothes rarely, do not own a car, and economize in other countercultural ways. Because of that, I have time and treasure for contributing to political campaigns and causes, helping out in community diaries here, and showing my friends and loved ones how much they mean to me. I also spend a ridiculous amount of money on books. I do need to think about what will happen to my small library after I am gone!
The point is: I have worked hard to concentrate what little treasure I have on the things that my heart rejoices in. I do not want to store up treasure on earth in areas that do not feed my heart and soul and spirit, because where my treasure is, is where my heart is forced to go, otherwise I am a broken, disjointed, disconnected person—a common ailment of modern life and culture.
Does the way you spend your money accurately reflect what you think is most important in life?
If so, when did you realize that was the way you wanted to choose to live?
If not, what is holding you back?
Anyone who feels life is going in a wrong direction, and wants to change that, is in luck, because one of the fastest ways to make a major life change is to start spending money differently. People who leave the rat race of the corporate earnings treadmill and move to a downsized job and a small place in the country may be crazy idealists, or they may be realizing that giving up the 3 hour commute, to spend 3 more hours at home writing or painting or cooking or gardening or playing an instrument or just relaxing and rejoicing in gratitude, is well worth the trade-off. When life needs a jump start: Follow the money! Where money goes is a good clue as to where energies need to be re-directed.
Yes, the same thing is true about time and talent. It is more obvious that where I spend my time and how I use my talents is an indication of what I value. "Where you treasure is, there will your heart be also" is just a way of reminding me that how I "spend" my life is also an indication of where my heart is "invested".
I give thanks today and every day for all the big and small decisions I make about where I commit my "treasure": my financial treasure, my priceless time, and the gifts and abilities I cherish most about myself. I hope my choices might be an example for others who want to free themselves from culture-bound expectations and bring their treasure in alignment with the values closest to their hearts.
Feel free to add prayer requests, spiritual reflections or any concerns to be held in the light in the comments below, even if they do not relate specifically to the diary. Let us use the recommend button as a "touch and agree" way of praying for one another, and/or showing solidarity with one another's needs and desires.