The Love of Money—Is It Really Harmful?

Is the Pursuit of Money
Making You Sick?

IF YOU became very rich tomorrow, what would you do? Slow down and enjoy life? Quit your job and spend more time with your family and friends? Take up a career that you really enjoy? Interestingly, many people who become rich do no such things. Instead, they devote the rest of their lives to making more money—either to pay off their new debts or just to get richer.

Some who have followed this course, however, are noting the damaging effect that materialism has had on their health, their family life, and the moral character of their children. Recently, books, articles, television programs, and videos have warned against overindulgence and have, instead, encouraged “voluntary simplicity.” A number of sources point out that becoming absorbed in materialistic pursuits can make you sick—mentally, emotionally, and even physically.

Of course, concern about the dangers of materialism is not new. Almost 2,000 years ago, the Bible stated: “Those who are determined to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and many senseless and hurtful desires, which plunge men into destruction and ruin. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of injurious things, and by reaching out for this love some have been led astray from the faith and have stabbed themselves all over with many pains.”—1 Timothy 6:9, 10.

But is that true? Do those who live for money and material acquisitions really suffer for it? Or do they have it all—wealth, health, and happy families? Let us see.

Determined to Be Rich
—How It Can Affect You

IN A world where over 850 million people are hungry, it may be hard to imagine that having too much could be a problem. But did you note that the scripture quoted in the previous article warned not against money or riches but, rather, against the love of money and the determination to be rich? What happens when people live for riches and the things that money can buy? Consider first the effect on their children.
The Effect on Children

It is estimated that in just one year, an average child in America sees 40,000 television commercials. Add to these the video games, sophisticated music players, computer programs, and name-brand clothing that children see in stores and in the homes of their friends, and then try to imagine the barrage of requests parents face as a result. Some parents have pandered to their children’s every wish. Why?

Having been denied material luxuries when they were young, some parents are eager to make sure that their children do not grow up feeling deprived. Still other parents are afraid that if they say no, their children will stop loving them. “They want to be their kids’ best friend and make sure they’re having fun,” said a cofounder of a support group for parents in Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A. Other parents hope that an abundance of gifts will compensate for their spending a great deal of time at their job, away from their children. Then, too, after a long week of stressful work, a parent may simply not feel up to the conflict that inevitably follows the answer “No, you can’t have it.”

But are parents who give their children everything they want helping them or hurting them? Ironically, experience is showing that instead of loving Mom and Dad more, spoiled children tend to be ungrateful. They don’t even appreciate the gifts that they begged for so desperately. Said a middle-school director: “It’s been my experience that when children have their ‘gimmes’ met immediately, the sought-after items are often discarded after two weeks.”

What happens to spoiled children when they grow up? According to Newsweek magazine, studies show that they become adults who “have difficulty coping with life’s disappointments.” Never having learned to work hard for what they get, a number of them fail at school, at work, and in marriage, thereafter remaining financially dependent on their parents. They may also be prone to anxiety and depression.

So, spoiled children are deprived after all. They are denied appreciation for the value of work, a sense of self-worth, and the ability to feel rich on the inside. Therapist Jessie O’Neill warns: “By teaching children that they can have what they want when they want it, you are setting them up for a lifetime of misery.”
What Happens to Adults?

If you are married, “no matter how long you’ve been together or how much money you have, your next fight is likely to be about money,” reports the journal Psychology Today. It also observes that “the way a couple deals with money disagreements and disappointments can predict the long-term success, or failure, of the relationship.” A couple who place too much importance on money and material things clearly put their marriage at greater risk. Indeed, it has been estimated that arguments about money are dominant in 90 percent of divorce cases.

Yet, even when a couple stay together, the quality of their marriage may suffer if their focus is on money and the luxuries it affords them. For example, a couple in debt may easily become irritable and quick-tempered, with each blaming the other for their financial worries. In some cases each mate is so preoccupied with his or her material possessions that there is little time for their relationship. What happens when one mate makes an expensive purchase and hides it from the other? Doing so breeds secretiveness, guilt, and mistrust—all of which eat away at the marriage.

A few adults, whether married or not, have literally sacrificed their lives to materialism. Some in South Africa, under the stress of adopting Western-style materialistic values, have attempted suicide. In the United States, a man killed his wife, his 12-year-old son, and himself, apparently because of his financial problems.

Of course, most people do not die as a result of pursuing riches. Yet, life could easily pass them by while they are lost in their quest. Then, too, the quality of their lives may suffer if job stress or financial strain causes panic attacks, sleeplessness, chronic headaches, or ulcers—health problems that can shorten one’s life. And even if a person wakes up to the need to change his priorities, it may be too late. His mate may no longer trust him, his children may already be hampered emotionally, and his health may be ruined. Perhaps some of the damage can be repaired, but it will require a great deal of work. Such ones have indeed “stabbed themselves all over with many pains.”—1 Timothy 6:10.
What Do You Want?

Most people want a happy family, good health, meaningful work, and enough money to live comfortably. To have all four requires balance, and when one’s main concern is money, that balance is disturbed. For many people, getting back on track may mean accepting a lower-paying job, a smaller home, a less-expensive car, or a lower social status. How many of them are willing to sacrifice such luxuries for the sake of higher values? ‘I know I don’t need these things,’ admitted one woman, ‘but it’s so hard to let go of them!’ Others want to let go, but they don’t want to be the first to do so.

What about you? If you have already found a way to keep money and material things in their place, you are to be commended. On the other hand, are you rushing through this article right now because your standard of living demands too much of your time? Are you among those who feel a need to cut back materially in favor of greater physical and emotional well-being? Then act decisively before materialism has opportunity to do its destructive work in your household. The box on this page provides some suggestions for getting started.

When material things are kept in their place, each member of the family will benefit physically and emotionally. Christians, however, have an additional concern—they do not want material things to interfere with their relationship with God. How can materialism threaten one’s spiritual health, and how can one prevent that from happening? The next article will explain.

Determined to Be Rich
Spiritually

GETTING rich materially requires focused effort and sacrifice. So does getting rich spiritually. This was implied by Jesus when he said: “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” (Matthew 6:20) Spiritual riches do not gather themselves. Merely having a religion will not make a person spiritually rich any more than just having a bank account will make him financially wealthy. Cultivating an intimate relationship with God, developing as a spiritual person, and becoming rich in spiritual qualities require determination, time, focused effort, and sacrifice.—Proverbs 2:1-6.
Can You Have Both?

Cannot one have both spiritual riches and an abundance of material things? Perhaps, but only one of these can be successfully pursued. Jesus said: “You cannot slave for God and for Riches.” (Matthew 6:24b) Why not? Because the pursuit of spiritual riches and material riches implies a conflict. The one interferes with the other. Thus, before telling his disciples to store up spiritual riches, Jesus said: “Stop storing up for yourselves treasures upon the earth.”—Matthew 6:19.

If one disregards Jesus’ counsel and tries to pursue both spiritual and material riches, what will happen? Jesus said: “No one can slave for two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stick to the one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6:24a) When one pursues both, then spiritual matters, even if cared for out of a sense of duty, may become a nuisance that always seems to be getting in the way. Instead of looking to God, one might even look to money and what it buys as the primary means of coping with life’s anxieties. It is as Jesus said: “Your heart will always be where your riches are.”—Matthew 6:21, Today’s English Version.

Each Christian does well to consider such Bible counsel seriously before deciding where he will focus his time, his attention, and his heart. Just because God does not provide specific limits on how much a Christian can acquire does not mean that His warnings against greed carry no penalty. (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10) Those who disregard Bible counsel and cultivate a determination to be rich suffer spiritually, mentally, and emotionally, as we have seen. (Galatians 6:7) By contrast, Jesus said that those who are sensitive to their spiritual needs will be happy. (Matthew 5:3) Certainly our Creator and his Son know what is best for our happiness and welfare!—Isaiah 48:17, 18.
A Choice You Will Not Regret

What will it be for you, God or riches? It is obvious that we must give some attention to our material needs. In his first letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul said: “Certainly if anyone does not provide for those who are his own, and especially for those who are members of his household, he has disowned the faith and is worse than a person without faith.” Paul also encouraged Christians to place their hope, not in money, but on God and “to be rich in fine works.” (1 Timothy 5:8; 6:17, 18) On what will you focus? What will you pursue? Chief among the fine works Paul referred to is the preaching and disciple-making activity that Jesus gave his disciples to do. (Matthew 28:19, 20) When Christians voluntarily simplify their lives, not merely to slow down and enjoy life but to have a greater share in this meaningful work, they are “treasuring up for themselves a fine foundation for the future” in God’s promised new world. And even now they find that spiritual riches are “O how much better than gold!”—1 Timothy 6:19; Proverbs 16:16; Philippians 1:10.

Consider the experience of Eddie, whose family became Jehovah’s Witnesses when he was young. At one point his family lost all their assets, and they were forced to move out of their home. Eddie explains: “I had always worried about what would happen if we got to the point where we actually had nothing. Well, now we had nothing. And do you know what happened? Nothing! We still ate, drank, and clothed ourselves. Jehovah provided, and in time we recovered from our losses. This experience taught me to take seriously what Jesus promised at Matthew 6:33—that if we make God’s Kingdom our life’s priority, we need never be anxious about our material needs.” Today Eddie, accompanied by his wife, serves as a full-time traveling minister. They have what they need materially. More important, they are spiritually rich.
Immeasurable Benefits

Unlike treasures on earth, which thieves can steal, spiritual riches can be permanent. (Proverbs 23:4, 5; Matthew 6:20) It is true that spiritual progress is harder to measure. It is not as easy to determine the extent to which one has grown in love, joy, or faith as it is to ascertain one’s financial progress. But the rewards of spiritual riches are immeasurable. Speaking of disciples who would leave even their houses and fields—yes, their means of living—to make room for spiritual things, Jesus said: “Truly I say to you men, No one has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the good news who will not get a hundredfold now in this period of time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, with persecutions, and in the coming system of things everlasting life.”—Mark 10:29, 30.

What will you put first in your life? God or riches?

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Living With a Sense of Balance

Cutting back materially will require determination and careful planning. Here are suggestions that have proved helpful to some.

* INVENTORY. What can you stop buying? What can you get rid of? Magazine subscriptions? Music CDs? Unnecessary accessories for the car?
* SIMPLIFY ON A TRIAL BASIS. If you have serious reservations about living more simply, why not try it for six months or a year. Prove to yourself whether all that time spent on money and possessions was really making you happier—or less so.
* INCLUDE YOUR CHILDREN IN FAMILY DISCUSSIONS ABOUT SIMPLIFYING. Thus, they will likely be supportive and you will not find it so hard to say no when you must.
* A family discussing finances in a balanced way CONSIDER GIVING YOUR CHILDREN AN ALLOWANCE. Whether they decide to save for a desired item or to forgo it, they will learn patience and appreciation for what they own. They will also learn how to make decisions.
* LEARN TECHNIQUES THAT WILL HELP YOU SAVE. Shop for bargains. Make a budget. Carpool. Run appliances less. Borrow books from the library instead of buying them.
* FILL THE GAP. Remember, your objective in cutting back is not simply to own less but to give attention to more important concerns, such as the people in your life. Are you doing that?