Wealth is often thought of in terms of money. And certainly this is one clear example. But wealth comes in many different currencies – allowing us to be rich by many different means.
To be sure, there are many benefits to financial wealth. And while it might be tempting to make an idol of our money, this doesn’t make it inherently wrong to build wealth here. In fact, this very well may be part of our ministry to others – building wealth so that we might be generous to others, especially to the people of God.
But money should be seen just as an example of wealth and not its only currency.
For instance, some might hold wealth in terms of their knowledge, relationships, or special skills. The son of a scholar or a preacher will gain certain privileges others will not have. A community leader might give his children invaluable community connections that others would miss. Likewise, a skilled craftsman can pass on a wealth of technical knowledge and an artist an eye for beauty that surpasses the gifts of others.
Whatever it looks like, wealth is not limited to the amount of money in our bank accounts. And we miss the many ways God has blessed us and that we can bless others when we do.
It’s easy to bemoan our lack of material blessings. And there’s a place to cry out to God for these things. At the same time, we must consider if our focus on money has caused us to miss other ways in which we’re richly blessed.
Often our currency of wealth is simply different. And we must honor these differences to serve each other well.
In the end, don’t miss the wealth you’ve been given just because it’s in a different currency than you expected.
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