Fleeting Riches

Prosperity is as short-lived as a wildflower, so don’t ever count on it.  You know that as soon as the sun rises, pouring down its scorching heat, the flower withers.  Its petals wilt and, before you know it, the beautiful face is a barren stem.  Well, that’s a picture of the “prosperous life.”  At the very moment everyone is looking on in admiration, it fades away to nothing.

James 1:10-11

I have come to the time in my life when it is imperative that I give serious thought to retirement.  Of course, the minute I do, I have to laugh at the impossible nature of the situation.  Current wisdom on the subject indicates that a person retiring in the next 5-10 years will need over $1,000,000 to sustain a comfortable lifestyle. Just writing these words leaves me with a huge grin on my face.  A million dollars?   I realize that it costs more to live these days, and women especially are living longer, fuller lives.  But the chance of my having even a healthy fraction of that number is slim to none.  Period.

When the economy took its drastic downturn, I had several friends who lost major portions of their retirement savings almost overnight.  I realize that the economy regularly has these ups and downs, but the upward trend is very slow this time, and the constant fear of another downward turn is very real in our world.  Nothing is a certainty today - not retirement, not savings, not even employment.

Today's verse from James might be very discouraging if it were not for Jesus' words in Matthew:

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or 

store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not much more valuable than they?

Who of you by worrying can add a single moment to your life?

And why do you worry about clothes?

See how the flowers of the field grow.

They do not labor or spin.

Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his 

splendor was dressed like one of these.

If that is how God clothes the grass of the field,

which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire,

will He not much more clothe you - you of little faith?

So do not worry saying, "What shall we eat"

or "What shall we drink" or "What shall we wear?"

For the world runs after all these things,

and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness,

and all these things will be added to you as well.

Matthew 6:26-33

Obviously this does not mean that I am going to sit back and wait for God to provide me with all that I need for the remainder of my life.  Far from it.  But as I work and save and do my best to prepare, hopefully worrying about the future will not be a part of my daily living.