It seems today there is always a protest about something on television. I try to keep an open mind to see all perspectives and, while I agree with some protests, there are others I just don’t understand. One thing I know for sure is that we’re extremely fortunate to live in the United States. Sure, we have our problems, but it’s great to have the freedom to protest things both great and small. Sometimes I’m amazed at how blessed we are because we protest some seemingly small issues. While it may be important to others what someone said in 1995, it doesn’t bother me at all. Making sure I have someone to help me use the bathroom each day is more of a priority for me.
Another protest I’ve never really been able to support is removing “In God We Trust” from money. The issue seems to have been dropped, but it has always stuck with me. I am a Christian, so of course it doesn’t bother me, but I do understand the issue. Freedom of Religion is one of the great things about our country, so I can see how some would view these words as “forcing” Christianity on them. However, instead of changing all of our money, maybe we should change our perspective.
In Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, he provides many good thoughts about building the United States of America. One point that really spoke to me was that America could not be a monarchy. His argument was not a political one. It was Biblical. Paine argued that there was only one true King. When citizens have a king and royal family controlling their lives, the ruler not only has too much power, but the people could start to worship their king. It makes sense. We have seen in movies how kings develop godlike arrogance. Paine said this is idolatry and violates one of the Ten Commandments.
I would argue that we can say the same about money. Money is a necessary tool to live, but we give it more power than it deserves. We believe wealth brings power, making money the easy solution to solving our problems. This is simply not true. We must be careful not to worship money as a false god. Maybe “In God We Trust” serves as a reminder and not a way to promote a certain religion. I think it reminds us that money is a tool to be used, not something in which we place our hope.
That being said, money should not be used to divide us. It is not evil and wealthy people are not the enemy. We should maximize our current and future resources (money) as we pursue our reasonable goals. Financial planning can be the best way to limit the control money has over our lives because it gives us direction. Without direction, you won’t go anywhere. It will be long, difficult journey, but I’ll be glad to help you develop a plan! Let’s get started today!
