It was a beautiful Saturday morning, and I woke up early. On weekdays, I try to read my Bible before going online to reply to texts, emails, or peruse social media. The keyword is “try” But on this day, I was online first and saw a fancy dress on an Instagram page which drew me in. Half an hour later, I was still deeply engrossed in the page, and my thoughts and mindset had changed.

“She has amazing taste.”

“I can put this on my wish list.”

“I have too many things on my wish list that I’ll probably never buy.”

“Why is my life this way? Why can’t I just buy things and look like that?”

Things went from casual strolling to admiration and then to hating and not appreciating my entire life. It was when I felt a headache that I realized how far I had gone so I put my phone away and immediately reached for my devotional.

The verse Luke 12:15-21 (TLB translation) came up, and verse 15 reads “Beware! Don’t always be wishing for what you don’t have. For real life and real living are not related to how rich we are.“

1 Timothy 6:10 says, “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 sorrows.”

These verses reminded me of a few things:

Fulfillment in life is not just about material possessions, wealth, and success. It comes from finding a balance in life, embracing the present, managing your emotions, building relationships, impacting others, and much more. When those thoughts come, remind yourself that what is nice to have should not define your progress in life.

Focus on your priorities. Don’t lose sight of eternity while building earthly possessions. Earthly wealth is not immune to recession.

Money is good, but eagerness for money should not lead you astray from your faith.

The Word of God has the answers you seek. I was so sure that everything was going wrong, but when I turned to the Word of God, the answers and reassurance came to me in due season, just when I needed it.

In conclusion, there is absolutely nothing wrong with desiring things or admiring what we see. If seeing those things makes you blame and hate your life, then you need to change your focus. Secondly, in our pursuit of earthly riches, don’t neglect acquiring spiritual riches. Fill yourself with the Word of God so that when the winds of intimidation try to come at you, you have something inside you to fight back.