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[My Mother's Blog] Managing My Greed I am greedy. It's not pleasant, but it's true. The Lord has been dealing with me and my greed for 30 some years. I am most greedy about a few material objects, namely cook books, sewing patterns & buttons. I also like to keep a variety of different grains in stock in my cupboards, but this isn't exactly greed, it's more of a luxury I like to indulge in. There are a few intangible things I'm greedy for too, affection from my 13 year old boy who is suddenly too old to hug his old mom, free time to write, and alone time with my husband. I used to be greedy for clothes and shoes, but God had been merciful enough to help me over those humps. I have been lucky in my life not to be greedy for money or cars or housing. These things show our status to others outwardly. The bible says
To me this means that "clothing" myself with good works, is a better representation of my status in this world than driving a fancy car or owning a fancy house or wearing the latest fashions, or having my children join the most expensive clubs. My Good Works are partly represented in my websites, but also in my home, and my relationships with my family. When I obey my husband even though I'd rather do things my own way, I am displaying good works. When I teach my children at home, nurse my babies the way God intended, share with those less priviledged, offer Christian hospitality, and help others when the opportunity presents itself, I am showing my good works. I think Good Works are the antidote to greed. Charity, which means Love In Action, is something we can all practice, no matter what our financial state. We can make a dozen muffins for about 50 Cents and give them to a friend. We can read to people while they work or sew. We can babysit for other moms, volunteer to teach Sunday School or clean the church. If we see that someone needs something and we have that thing, we can give it to them with no strings attached. If we know about computers we can help friends and family who are having trouble with theirs. If we know how to knit, we can teach others. We can take friends with us when we yard sail who don't have a way to go on their own. I do some sewing for friends and family, especially my Granny who can't see as well as she used to. I teach my Nephew and provide all of his school supplies because my Aunt can't afford to. I share meals with family and friends almost daily. These are some of the ways the Lord has shown me that I can contribute to His kingdom. Not for the satisfaction of tooting my horn and saying "Look what I did, I'm so special and here is the evidence!" Instead I do it to point the way to God. To His Glory. God has given me eternal life, that is the most valuable and generous gift possible. I have been saved from sin and despair. My life is good. Really good. I've been happier the past few years, inspite of several challenges, than I have been my whole life. This happiness is a gift. I can share it with others and combat any temptation I may have towards greediness. Another thing I've got going for me is that I come from a long line of Christian women. We were taught at young ages to eschew any appearance of selfishness. Plain and simple, it's a sin. Greed hinders our relationship to Christ, and limits our capacity for joy. In my family we were called on it whenever it reared it's ugly head and we were given examples, daily, of the adults begin generous with their resources, whether they were financial, physical, spiritual, or whatever. Simply being patient with others is a big way to practice selflessness. I think that as mortals we all feel greedy about some things. For myself it means giving away cookbooks and buttons and sewing patterns so I'm not tempted to hoard them. It also means that I consciously decide not to feel resentful when I don't get enough hugs from my teenage son, or enough time to write or enough time with my husband. I choose to be satisfied with what I do have instead. Maybe not just satisfied but grateful. Greed comes in when we don't have enough faith that God will continue to provide for us no matter what. We may not have had enough when we were young. We may not have had enough last year. Some of us have spent decades without seeming to have "enough" of something. We all have a choice to maintain our fear that we'll never have enough, or we can turn to our bibles and read for comfort, being reminded that God does provide for us, and that even if our neighbors and friends have more, we still have enough for today, for this moment. No matter how bleak it seems, or the hardships we have endured, God is right there with us in every moment, cradeling us in His arms, comforting us, healing us, and giving us what we need to make it one more day. Our job is to let him do His. We do that by getting our ego and our fears out of His way. By opening our hearts in faith that His Grace is sufficient, and by addressing the spiritual issues that we all struggle with as they come up.
My advice to anyone feeling greedy about money is to give some of it away. If you literally don't have enough to meet your needs, then give away your time and talents instead. Giving to others is one of the best ways to display the wealth we have in God's Kingdom. If we're not practicing Charity in one shape or another, then we are limiting our own capacity for joy and we need to change our ways. Also on this subject, we all feel a little weird about our lives when they are changing. If we are able to build up our savings after several years of living paycheck to paycheck, then we may experience a bit of righteous satisfaction over it. That's not greed. That's satisfaction for a job well done. If you're not sure which you're feeling, greed or righteous satisfaction, then pray over it, and take some time out to practice generosity in one form or another. Another question I like to ask is "Is it good for the family?" Having enough savings to see us through a rainy day is good for the family. It's not greedy, it's wise. Stocking up on sewing patterns is not good for the family, it's just fun for me. This is greedy. It serves no purpose but for me to sit like a miser and gaze at my "jewels". When all is said and done, I only need 8 or 10 patterns for all of my sewing needs, the others are evidence of my lack of faith that the Lord will provide exactly what I need, exactly when I need it. Since I'm not trusting Him to do that in the area of sewing patterns, I wind up trying fill that need myself. Inevitably, that which the Lord provides for me is infinitely more satisfying than that which I try to "fix" myself.
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