Rich and miserable

“But godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1 Timothy 6:6)
 
Earlier this week, a politically diverse committee of thought leaders released an intriguing and thorough State of the Nation report to examine how America is doing in relation to other countries in the world (https://stateofnation.org/). I found two of the results especially interesting in light of this past Sunday’s sermon on “Do not steal” (Exodus 20:15) and an upcoming sermon on “Do not covet” (Exodus 20:17). The committee found that the United States outperforms 98% of the countries in the world with regards to economic output, and yet outperforms only 11% of countries in terms of rates of depression and anxiety, 16% of countries in suicide rate, and NO OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WORLD in the category of fatal overdoses. And according to the report, the trend for all three of these mental health categories has been getting worse.

In other words, we are one of the richest, AND most miserable, countries in the world.

As Americans, we have been conditioned to believe that if we have more money and more possessions, then we will be happier. We have been promised by a steady stream of advertisements that money will free us from fear and anxiety, open doors to more glamorous social circles, and give us the means to enjoy new and exciting experiences. And yet, somehow, the residents of the richest country in the world overwhelmingly report feeling more depression, anxiety, and suicidality than residents of less wealthy countries, and are apparently more likely to drink or drug themselves to death. More money plus more possessions evidently does NOT equal more happiness. How did we get this equation so wrong?

Maybe it’s time to consider living by another equation, one that predates America by many centuries. In Paul’s first letter to his protégé Timothy, he writes, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:6–10). According to Paul, godliness (seeking to know and live like Jesus) plus contentment (a state of peace and satisfaction that comes from trusting God regardless of your circumstances) equals great gain, or “mega wealth,” as the original Greek can be translated. Godliness includes following the example and wisdom of Jesus, who said, among many other things, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). And contentment comes from trusting that you are a beloved, adopted child of the God who owns everything (Psalm 124:1), who loves and cares for you more than the birds and flowers (Matthew 6:25-34), and who has stored up an inheritance in heaven for you (1 Peter 1:3-4).

The results are in: putting your hope in wealth and chasing after money does not lead to happiness. So why not try putting your hope in Jesus instead, and setting your heart towards godliness and contentment?