MOPE FASAKIN

I am fascinated by the book of Matthew, because of the profoundness of the words of Jesus as documented by the author.

In the sixth chapter, Jesus made it clear that God and the devil are not “words and opposite”. He is Lord. But then, He introduced an entity that could contrast God in the heart of man – Mammon.

Why mammon? Mammon commands worship – “bow down before me and I will bless you”. My conclusion comes from His firm submission: “You cannot serve two masters… You cannot serve God and mammon”.

There is a lot of evil in our world, and it can be disheartening to reflect and see that the love of money connects everything. The extent to which humans perpetrate evil, sponsor depravity, engage in violence, degrade themselves or another, just to register their presence at the altar of mammon is disturbing. The destinies of nations – even generations – have been altered because some powerful people have the money to do so. We do not even know the degree to which our outlook has been manipulated because of money.

Indeed, true is the saying that “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil”, but true is also the saying that “Godliness with contentment is great gain…”.

Contentment is where we fall short. This is where mammon sets a trap for even the wise.

Is contentment a destination or a journey?

When is enough simply enough? What informs our satiety? People have stated that when they attain a certain amount that guarantees their financial security for life, then they will be good. How much is enough? $20M? $200M? Would you desire a Forbes recognition when you are worth $200M? What else would you desire? Power? To influence the outcomes of elections and govern the world through elected officials? Do our human wants ever end? When are we able to control it?

My city recently experienced a four-day snow fest, and while I was scrambling to get an appointment to change my tires, it occurred to me that somebody has to clear the snow gathering on the premises. I recently moved from a condo complex where facility management was not my responsibility, but now, it is my reality. A bit depressed at the situation, I looked outside my window and noticed that some premises do not have snow accumulation. I felt as though my eyes were gaslighting me, so I’d return at intervals to inspect what I could clearly see. Perplexed, I decided to google the possibility of heated outdoor floors. Boom! It hit me that these homes have their snow-clearing technology in the ground, enabled by their wealth. The realization of my contrasting poverty made me more depressed. I returned to my desk a bit sorrowful, thinking about how much money I would need to be able to afford a house with such comfort. Mercifully, a contra-realization hit my senses and my mind transitioned to gratitude for my path and what grace has afforded me. Who knows what comfort my neighbours are aspiring to and wishing they had? Their own private golf course because they don’t want to be restricted to a schedule? A private residence away from where a peeping Tom like me could see the comfort they enjoy? Or a private jet to avoid the complexities of commercial travel? To many people, my yet-to-arrive self is the rich person they look up to.

“Eat the rich”

This has been the slogan of people who believe that the wealthy owe them some returns. Quite interestingly, this chant is limited to billionaires because many people who lead this crusade are comfortable millionaires. I guess they do not desire to be eaten. Lately, as the objects of their affection transition to the billionaire class, the chant has died down. Everyone is on the race to amass as much wealth and comfort for themselves. Which is good, I must admit. After all, “money is a defence”.

However, contentment guides us to build wealth and enjoy the comfort it provides without bringing harm to ourselves, our neighbours, or manipulating society with money in a dirty game of power. Contentment shields us against greed. Interestingly, greed is not classist. It does not visit the rich and ignore the poor. It is an equal opportunity guest – happy to dwell wherever it’s welcomed. So, you see the poor grabbing three loaves of bread, where he should have taken just one to make it go round. You also see the rich outrightly stealing from the commonwealth where he should have been content with his earned income.

Greed is the forerunner of mammon.

Greed is the insatiable desire for more of something, such as wealth, power, or possessions, than is needed. Greed will motivate you to ruin everything in your path in the quest for money, fame, and power. You will lie that you are whom you are not. You will callously deny friends and family, ruin relationships, and even kill to be accepted in circles where you should not be found. You will forget your purpose and commit crimes against humanity to satiate your desires and ambitions. When mammon is fully enthroned on the altar of your heart, you will morph into a beast whose conscience – the inner witness, the voice of reason – is fully crucified with no hope for resurrection.

Contentment is not what you imbibe after you attain your financial goals. That would be too late. Contentment is what you develop from when you had to walk 15mins in biting winter conditions to go bag groceries at the store to put bread on your table and keep a warm roof over your head. This contentment is what you keep developing even when you are now blessed enough to buy your Porsche with cash. Contentment will help you see that your validation and happiness does not come from your possessions, and if it comes down to walking away from your high-paying job/ high-status circle on a matter of principles, you do not feel degraded because whether you have plenty or not, you are neither enslaved nor defined by possessions – money, status, fame, power.

However, contentment is not natural to our human nature. Human needs and wants are insatiable. And we have fears: fear of irrelevance, fear of failure, fear of poverty, fear of stagnation. We also have ambitions, drive, and desires. Contentment does not neatly fit into these. I have an office bag, which I’m beginning to think might not serve me well this winter (I’d love to keep my hands warm in my pocket and not have to carry a handbag), so I switched to my backpack – but that’s my gym bag. So now I need an office back pack, and I saw one that had a special food compartment.

Just perfect!
Who knows what my next want would be?

Our natural inclination, the human wisdom and drive, is to keep gathering as much as we can, if possible, gather all and have those who ‘lost the competition’ worship us for crumbs. To be content is to be grounded in the peace that comes from God only; to be confident in and dependent on His ability and willingness to provide for us and through us. Such that when He empowers you to build a multibillion dollar company, you still do not gather more than is necessary. The urge to feature on the annual Forbes’ billionaire roll call does not become your drive. Instead of building a gold mansion to display your wealth and status, you are happy and privileged to be a channel through which others earn a decent living. To work diligently, to aspire to greatness, yet not trusting in our ability to amass enough resources to guarantee our own security, nor be broken by our limitations or downturns, but trusting in God as our source through out all seasons of life. So whether I have a heated drive way or I’m able to get my desired backpack or I improvise, I am neither puffed up nor discountenanced. I remain thankful.

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want…for we brought nothing into this world, and we will take nothing out of it.”

You might be concerned about how mediocrity could feature in this. Soon, we will review the clear distinction between mediocrity and contentment.

Take care.