A New Resolution

I need another resolution and here is why. In both the The Millionaire Mindset and The Success Principles, the authors suggest that you should consider any negative beliefs you have about wealth or wealthy people. For example, perhaps your parents might have believed that all wealthy people are greedy or corrupt. Or that being rich just makes you a target of envy or crime. Neither of these rang true to me, but I asked myself the question – What negative beliefs do I have about making money or being wealthy? The answer came to me from church, a place I visited regularly as a child.

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24, King James Bible). Note: In more recent translations of the bible, mammon is translated as wealth.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. [Exodus 20:3]

So what feels wrong with pursuing wealth to me is that it should not be my first consideration.

When I look at my resolutions, it’s hard to believe that earning money is not my highest priority. After all, my first resolution is about money and I left God and spiritual goals completely off the list. I have decided to change this not because I have some huge guilt-trip, or some fear of fire and brimstone or going to hell. No, I am changing it because it represents my true feelings and what will make me happiest.

Last night as I was driving home, I had the words “No man can serve two masters…” echoing in my head. I turned off the tape I was listening to (Millionaire Mind) and asked God, “Heavenly Father, how can I, how should I….” I didn’t speak the words, in fact, I didn’t exactly even find the words to my question. But I was asking, how can I devotedly pursue acquiring money, even when the reason I am doing so is unselfish, and not end up worshiping wealth and violating the precept “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” I held the question in my mind, the only words that came out of my mouth were “Heavenly Father.” And the answer came “…no other gods BEFORE me.” You can be devoted to other pursuits, as long as they are not ahead of God and honoring him and others.

So, I am adding a new resolution, resolution number 1, which is simply to connect once a day spiritually. Now you might think this is vague, but it’s specific enough for me to know whether I've achieved it. I KNOW when I’ve done it. I knew that I had connected last night. And as I did so, I felt a calm and a purposefulness and a strength that made me very happy.

I don’t think this will be a frequent topic of the blog, even as my top resolution, because it is a topic that I find difficult to capture in words. On the other hand, trying, at least some of the time, to capture it in words, like any of my resolutions keeps it focused in my mind.

Diana