Want What You Need

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end leads to death.
-Proverbs 16:25

This statement seems true in everyday life. As we walk along the path we are often confronted with ideas and plans that seem like a ‘good deal’. We examine them and determine if they are beneficial to us and will help us in our circumstances.

We all need money to survive in this world. In god’s world, of course, it would be unnecessary but in man’s world it’s paramount. If we want to have a warm shelter, food to eat, clothes on our backs, not to mention the many accessories that are necessary to successfully navigate the world: cars, transportation fare, etc. Sometimes we confuse the line between want and need.

We are all consumed with the desire for money. So we examine every possibility to gain an extra source of income, many of us try to determine if it’s right to do any particular thing.

Many, however, do not. They go about their lives feeling good about themselves so long as they have all that they desire physically. Of those people, many believe that they are fine so long as their activities do not hurt anyone else, at least on the outside. They fail to take one person into consideration in that equation: themselves.

Life today often seems to be a sell-out. The balance between ‘success’ and ‘failure’ is a fine line, mostly judged by income and status. But the real success is in the happiness inside and the satisfaction of living within god’s plan. Money is a poor substitute. Wouldn’t we all be just that much happier if we slowed down in our race to ‘succeed’ and learned to be happy with what god has chosen to bless us with? Our families, our health, those are the true ‘success’s’.

Instead we, as a whole, live wildly beyond our means. People around that judge it as success not seeing the pain inside associated with piling bills and escalating payments. What we see from the outside is how ‘lucky’ the other person is.

This is a trap that my husband and I often find ourselves in. We have so much to be grateful for, but boy, so-and-so has this, or that. Why can’t we have that? So we strive harder to get more and be ‘as good’, judging good vs. bad by what we have compared to someone else.

Are you and your family leaving beyond the scope of your income? Do you allow your dreams of ‘success’ to guide your motives? Make a list of ‘wants’ and ‘needs’. Are your needs met? Are some of the things on your list ‘wants’ that you often mistake as a need? True fulfillment rests in the happiness of what god has provided for you, not what you can strive for on your own. So take a deep breath and smile for – ‘this is the day that the lord hath made’.