Pockets
Sometimes, you might read something that immediately strikes you, a gut check of sorts that wakes you up or causes you to consider the world differently. This happens to me frequently, as I love it when someone can capture an idea succinctly and creatively.
Recently, I read a book about a very successful business that has chosen to use measures of success that go against the norm. The quote that struck me went something like this:
If you want to die rich, then keep investing. Don’t spend anything. Don’t use any capital. Don’t have a good time. Don’t get to know yourself. Don’t share with others. Don’t give anything away. But always keep in mind that there are no pockets in your final set of clothes.
When I worry about the future, become anxious about my resources, or whether I have stored enough away for a ‘rainy day,’ I also need to be reminded that there are no pockets on my final set of clothes. The incessant drive for security and accumulation even affects those of us who know better and who have chosen to live as disciples of Jesus.
That same book listed a study that was conducted by an organization called stuff.org that suggested that up to 90% of what is purchased at a mall is discarded or unused within 90 days. That makes me wonder whether I am part of the problem or can be part of the solution.
It is extremely difficult to live differently when our surrounding culture promotes financial security as the sole means of attaining contentment and happiness. Certainly, there is a difference between frugality and being greedy or miserly. James shares a similar sentiment to the quote above when he writes:
“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:13-14)
I don’t know when I will require my final set of clothes, but I hope when I do, my pockets, and my closets, and my garage are largely empty because I have been generous with what God has given me to distribute.
My father often shared one of his favorite quotes by John Wesley, which says:
“Earn all that you can. Save all that you can. Give away all that you can.”
If I can do that, I will seemingly overcome the challenges of the culture I find myself in and leave this earth with empty pockets.
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As RPC’s Associate Pastor for Mission Outreach, Rev. Dr. Dan Kreiss, has a heart for service and a diverse array of experiences in the mission field. Be sure to subscribe to the Mission Outreach Blog to read and follow along as he documents his personal journey and shares his vision for RPC’s mission outreach commitment. Along with providing meaningful resources, this blog will help jumpstart the important conversations our church community must be having about missional living.
Rev. Dr. Dan Kreiss
Rev. Dr. Dan Kreiss is the Associate Pastor for Mission Outreach at RPC. Dan is particularly passionate about encouraging the church to reflect the diversity found in its surrounding community in regard to age, gender, ethnicity, education and economic status.