I want the good life.

Growing up as a nice young Jewish boy, it was often reinforced in my upbringing that there were a few things in life that would breed the promise of ultimate happiness. Somehow, I’ve forgotten many of the subtle lessons of “life” once learned but I have some very vivid memories of being taught the importance of money. Cliché’ I know;) As a young boy, whether from my father, my uncle, my grandfather or other key influencers, I picked up on messages such as “Cash is king”, “He who dies with the most toys wins”, “If you have money, you don’t need to depend on anyone or anything”, etc.… In short, it seemed, Money = Happiness. Money = Respect. Money = Significance. Money = The Good Life. 

I remember being in junior high and determining that by the time I turned 30, I’d be a millionaire. At age 13, I landed my first job as a shoeshine boy on Main Street in downtown Walnut Creek for “The Champ”, an x-pro boxer turned shoeshine man. I was too young to shine shoes up front so Champ stuck me in the back with “drop offs” and I’d sit and shine all day until I proved my mettle. Within a few weeks, I was able to shine walk-in customer’s shoes and I was having a blast and bringing home @ $40 cash/day! That was really good money back in those days and I was a saver. I always worked and saved and worked and saved. By the time I was in high school, I was buying stocks and reading my father’s Wall Street Journal. I was on a dysfunctional mission to get rich and I was resolve to make it happen. 

So many rabbit trails but I’ll spare the details for now. In short, by the time I reached my 30th birthday, I had achieved my goal of becoming a millionaire. Since then I have literally made it, lost it and made it back again and can tell you from personal experience, having a lot of money does not equate to experiencing real joy and happiness. Obviously, there are certain benefits of having money and I’m not trying to diminish those by saying that money is bad. Having nice things is great and money is good, however I learned that there is something very true about the emptiness that comes from the passionate pursuit of wealth and have learned the hard way that the LOVE of money can bring about real turmoil. 

Strap in. This verse cuts but is so true. 
1 Timothy 6:10 – “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”

Ironically, it was when I had the most money that my marriage hit its deepest low. I was blinded to what sacrifices I had been making to get to this point and once I had “arrived”, what insensitivity I'd had to the wake of destruction I had been forging along the way. I was always able to talk a good talk and fool myself into believing that the money wasn’t changing me, but it was. I wasn’t fooling Jill. She called me on it. At one point, after I had been jet-setting around and living out the frivolities of life for a while, she said, “You’re just not the same guy I married. This money has changed you. You need to choose. Do you want me and this family or do you want to chase after this wealth?” Talk about a wake up call! I almost derailed everything important to me over the love of money and the pursuit of wealth. In God’s providence, He allowed me to experience a great humbling when the tech bubble burst in 2000. I lost millions but regained my soul. I think God knew that I needed to be shaken, not nudged into submission. He got my attention. It was during this timeframe that I entered counseling and focused on the glaring areas of greed that had captivated my heart. 

Over time, I was able to rebuild and years later, God entrusted me with a second opportunity at wealth. Although I know I’ve come a long way and have matured in this area, I am still constantly having to check the motives of my heart and hold loosely to the material things of this world.

I found the good life, but it’s not in money. The good life is found in the richness of relationships. In the end, it’s the people in our lives and the experiences and lasting memories we are making together that bring about the good life we all long for. The good life is also found when we give ourselves away in service to God and others. When we are being His hands and feet to the people who are in need around us, we experience that deep, inner joy that cannot be explained. This is what we were made for! I really know this now. 

So, go ahead and be successful! Make money! Lots of it if you really want to. Take nice vacations and buy nice cars. None of these things are bad. Again, it’s a heart issue. You’ll know if something’s off. Be honest with yourself and guard your heart along the way. Don’t let the love of money steal the true riches of life from you and your family. 

Let’s go get it!