Articles
Through the Eyes of Christ
I can remember hearing my dad talk about life during the Great Depression. He and my mother had been married a couple of years when it hit. Like so many others, they didn’t have much, but they were happy anyway. They learned how to deal with an extremely tight financial situation that dragged on for years.
Most of us today were born after the Depression and have enjoyed relative plenty all our lives. Have we come to take prosperity for granted and expect it as our right?
Suppose a family from the Depression era were suddenly transported to our modern shopping malls, supermarkets, and car dealerships. Imagine the look on their faces as they try to comprehend the astonishing abundance, as well as the incredible variety of products available. And so much of what we routinely use today didn’t even exist in the 1930s.
Theoretically, at least, we know we could lose it all tomorrow. And what if we did? Could we deal with it, or would we be emotionally devastated?
Christians are the best equipped to accept financial loss. Christ Himself traveled light when He was on earth. He taught the importance of trusting in God for one’s daily bread. He also taught it’s better to give than to receive. He taught His disciples to lay up treasures in heaven, not on earth. He warned against the spiritually fatal tendency toward greed.
This is not to say we should not make some wise financial planning, especially in times like ours when the economy is so shaky. If we seek His kingdom first, He promises to provide (Matt. 6:33). Truly trusting Him is the best antidote for needless worry.
And so if we live by His teachings and learn to look at life through His eyes, we’ll be able to handle financial reverses with greater grace than if we were earthbound materialists (Hebrews 10:34).
No question about it, the Christian outlook is the healthiest way to live!
