timemag_9_06.jpg“You don’t measure your self-worth by your net worth.”
~Rick Warren Writer/Pastor

One of the few times I actually agree with this man. I was recently reading Time Magazines cover story, “Does God Want You To Be Rich?” I want to say right off that I don’t believe that is something God really cares about. Whether your lot in life is to be black or white, rich or poor, gay, straight or transgendered, you are who you are and though you may be able to appear as something you are not, it only matters to those people here on earth (if at all).

When it comes down to it, when you are by yourself, are you content with who you are and what you have? True, we as a human species want more in life, we want what is best and we want to aspire to more. That doesn’t mean that we are to have a vow of poverty nor that are we to never strive for more.

But I believe there does come a point when you have to look at life and look in the mirror and say, “I am content.” It is like the verse in the Sheryl Crow song “Soak Up the Sun” – It’s not having what you want/It’s wanting what you’ve got.

True, there is nothing wrong with obtaining money; there is nothing wrong with having material things. What is wrong is when these things are obtained at the expense of family, relationships, lost time and a loss of who you are. There has to be a point at which we stop and decide what is important. To me aspiring to a “prosperous life” and having a quality family life seems to be opposites.

Like a corporation pushing quality, their “quality” is all about talking of the quantity that needs to be done. In order to have one, the other would suffer. Perhaps both could survive together for a time but, not one where the stress would eventually do in the person trying to attain both.

I believe it will always be a back and forth in life. One year in your life you may be all about building a family and having a quiet life, and the next year would be about getting the promotion. But ultimately, it will always come down to finding out what the core values are that are cherished in one’s life. That will always last longer than any plasma TV or Mustang convertible.