True Wealth

When I booked our flights, I knew we would have an extended layover in Los Angeles. Not wanting to sit around the airport all day, I reserved a rental car for us to take a drive around and see some of the sights.

What a great experience! Even though it was short, we were able to tour one of the most famous cities in our nation. Although I had been to the west coast before, this was the first time for all three of us to see this area.

Of course, just hearing the names “Beverly Hills” and “Hollywood” conjure up images of wealth and fame. Reflecting on this provided an interesting backdrop as we prepared for the next (17 hour!) leg of our journey to Nepal. I couldn’t help thinking about the contrast. We just toured one of the wealthiest and most popular places in the world. Now we are boarding a plane to an extremely remote area where poverty plagues many.

This contrast provided the perfect opportunity for me to ponder the things that are of true worth in this life. Many in this area obviously enjoy the easy and comfort that fame and money provide. However, at the same time, we are all aware of the damaged lives this same town has produced. For some strange reason, the media (and by extension, we consumers of it) seem fixated on the failures and tragedies of the rich and famous. How could something so great lead to so much misfortune? And, what is all this wealth and fame worth if it can also lead to misery and death?

King Solomon was one of the richest and wisest men that have ever lived. He wrote an entire book (Ecclesiastes) that surveys this same topic. He explains how his wealth and power afforded him any possession or pleasure that his heart desired, of which he denied himself none. But in many ways, the book is a story of despair. Throughout it, he frequently repeats the conclusion that “all is vanity.” What’s it all worth, if we merely bump through this life for a few decades and then vanish?

Many years later, one wiser than King Solomon summed it up in all up in a single, well-known question: “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?”

Undoubtedly, once we arrive in Nepal our friends will introduce us to people who possess very little of monetary value. Yet these same people will also possess the greatest treasure known to mankind. This life passes in the blink of an eye compared to the eternity that follows it. While material possessions in this life are a blessing for us to enjoy, we should guard against their capacity to distract us from the things of true wealth.

At the end of this day, I find myself thankful. I am grateful that God has given me enough wealth to afford a trip like this. I am much more thankful that He has given me my family – that I have my two sons with me on this experience and a wonderful wife at home taking care of our four other children. And, I am infinitely more grateful that I have a sure future regardless of what this life brings.