I have to admit that I’m a striver.  All my life I’ve worked hard with the future in mind.  My motto has been, “Back your car into the parking space so you can drive out when you’re ready to leave.”  In other words, “Do your homework first and play second.”

We know this world offers a lot of good things such as a comfortable home, decent car, a savings account or retirement security.  And sometimes we work even harder so we can afford vacations or perhaps a fishing boat. . .

We know what we want, so we set the alarm to get up early, go to bed late and occasionally miss our kids’ baseball games. . . You get the picture.  And guess what happens to you after you finally get these things?  You’ll never guess. . . You worry about losing them.

This reminds me of a story about a guy from Guatemala who once said, “If only I had a mule like my neighbor has, I would finally be happy!”  So the guy works extra-long hard hours and finally, finally buys himself a mule.  He thinks he is so happy, until that very first night as he lays in bed and cannot sleep because he is so worried that someone might steal his mule.

Isn’t that a funny story!  It sure puts things into a new perspective!

Perhaps that is why our mighty God gently reminds us throughout his Word, not to put our hope in wealth.^{1 Timothy 6:17}   God is not trying to be a killjoy, but knows all about fake news. . . He knows how an obsession with the riches of this world, that seem to promise security, ultimately leads to perpetual insecurity.

God tenderly encourages us to put our hope and trust in him.  He wants us to rest in him and spend time with him.  Time alone with God puts everything in a new perspective.  A new view that helps us see the really big picture of our lives.