Don’t love the world’s ways. Don’t love the world’s goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear impor- tant—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity. (1 John 2:15–17 MSG)Your marriage is great, but there is a relationship just across the fence that is interesting and exciting. You leave your wife at home in sweatpants with her hair messed up and the smell of baby diapers all over her, and you go to the office where the women look nice and smell sweet, and you ask, Could life be better on the other side of the fence? You have enough money, but you think the amount of money just across the fence would make you happier or give you more freedom. Gallup recently did a poll that said those making less than $50,000 annually thought they would be rich and happy if they made $100,000. Those who were paid more than $50,000 thought it would take $200,000 or more to be happy. And those making more than $75,000 thought it would take $250,000.1 We want what we don’t have. Until we get it, and then we want more. You’re doing great watching your weight, but it sucks to have to count every calorie. That juicy cheeseburger just across the fence surely won’t take you too far offtrack. In your yard you are single; surely the married yard is better. Or you are married and wish you were single again. Or you don’t have kids and wish you did. Or you have kids and can’t wait until they are out of the house, like the couple across the fence who has total freedom with their time. We live in a society that is geared to make you want what you don’t have. We are exposed to as many as five thousand advertising messages every single day. That number is increasing. And nearly every message’s aim is to show you something you don’t have but probably need. This is a problem we will likely never conquer. It will be with us for all our lives. But here are some practices I think are good antidotes to keep the Want-Monster in check.
- Become a generous person. “One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper” (Prov. 11:24–25). Generosity is the best antidote for selfishness and greed.
- Spend time with people who have less than you. Do what you can to lift others out of poverty. “Defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Prov. 31:9).
- Visit GlobalRichList.com and enter your annual income. You will quickly understand how blessed you are. For example, a person making $20,000 in a year is in the top 4 percent of the richest people in the world.
- Work on developing your character. Start by focusing on the fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22–23.