Money Muddles

“But when he came to his senses, he said” Luke 15:17

Senses – The story of the prodigal son. We need to know the literal wording here in order to really see the picture. It is “to himself he came” (eis eauton elthon). This is a place that each of us must visit if we are to be useful to God. Paradoxically, even though it’s wherever we are, it is quite a long way away.

The Biblical insight about the necessity of this visit can be seen throughout Scripture. Moses could not be used by God when he had not yet “come to himself”. He spent forty years on the road to himself in order to experience brokenness. Along the way, he had to lose it all before God could use what was left (nothing).

Paul’s religious zeal and passion kept him from connecting with himself. Until he became blind to his ambition, he was useless to God.

In the story of the rich man and Lazarus, there is no discussion of wickedness or sin, but the rich man still goes to hell. The story focuses on the rich man’s life of disconnection with himself. When he dies, he is still disconnected. The rich man could have been a good person, but he could not see the need and the suffering right at his front door. His insensitivity was evidence that he had not connected. The fundamental evidence of arrival at “coming to myself” is my identification with others. This is why Jesus could say that his followers would be known as those who “love one another”.

More than any other tangible thing, money is the disconnecting agent. It keeps me from understanding who I am. Why? Because money muddles my mind. It makes me think that I have ability, strength, protection and power. It disrupts the truth of God’s ordered universe. It prevents me from seeing that in my own strength, I can’t handle living.

Coming to myself leads to me to “what would you have me to do Lord?” Until I arrive there, I cannot be launched into God’s plan. But once I arrive at this distance shore next door, I am set free to experience God’s power and direction. I just have to come to myself each day to be reminded that I don’t live with the pigs anymore.