Things of This World

Everyday, we work. It does not make any difference whether we are studying or are working for a boss, we are working towards a goal. And our goal is : to make money. Of course, we need money - that cannot be denied. Money is a medium of exchange to every person : even though it is only just a piece of paper, made such that it is hard to duplicate. However, sometimes, even the best of us get our priorities wrong. We store up on things of this world, as if there is no tomorrow.

Don't get me wrong. There is a need to make sure we have enough food, water, clothes and other creature comforts, but more than that, we should not only focus on things of this world. Let me give you three reasons.

Firstly, we can take nothing out of this world. As we came into this world, so, too, shall we leave it : taking nothing with us. No matter what we do, everything of this world will stay here. People have tried to take things out of this world when they die. However, no one has succeeded so far. The artifacts in tombs of ancient civilisations is a testament to this.

Secondly, things of this world are temporary. Metals oxidise and lose their glitter. Diamonds, the metastable (unstable) form of carbon, slowly change to graphite over millions of years. Cloths and other good looking organic based materials do not last forever, as they can be damaged by the weather, pests and other insidious agents. Thieves may come in the night and steal our belongings.

Another reason why we should not worry too much about the things of this world is that we won't be judged by our wealth, but by our riches in heaven. No amount of wealth is going to buy us a place in heaven, especially if we have not been faithful to God in life. Wealth is a legal human desire, but it should not be a goal. We need to look beyond this life for a goal. If our goal were to make as much money as we could, we would never be happy as we would be forever poorer than someone else.

Instead, we should focus on the things of the next world, and store up our treasures in heaven. There, moths, rust and other free radical reactions do not destroy and the thief cannot steal. Our treasure there is always there, and is one of the things which we may take with us out of this world.

In our rat race, whatever and wherever we may be, we should not forget to keep our eyes on the bigger picture : God.