A bumper sticker in the ’80’s taught the not-so-great truth “He Who Dies With The Most Toys Wins.”
This wise saying offers just the opposite advice. “A good name is more desirable than great riches” and “to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.”
The message here is simple — who I am is far more important than what I have!
As a Pastor in Frederick, Maryland during the ’70s-’80s, I visited in some of the county’s nicest homes. They were gorgeous, inside and out, and it was pretty cool just to be able to see inside.
But I was there because the people living in these beautiful houses were miserable and couldn’t enjoy the wonderful things they had around them. Life is just not about stuff.
There are men here at Helping Up Mission who used to live in such nice houses…and they weren’t happy, either…so they turned to chemicals for relief…and that only made things worse!
On numerous occasions, these same guys have told me that they’re actually happier here and now — with very little to call their own — than they were then with all those things.
They’re getting more comfortable with the fact that who they are is more important than what they have. That’s wisdom…the Wisdom of Proverbs!