I Got Mine but God Took It Back

Once in a while, great fun happens in the comment box. I unwittingly set off a maelstrom of punniness between my dad and uncle last week, and if you ever want to know what our family gatherings are like, you really ought to check it out. Following closely on the heels of that good fun, my dad sends over a shiny new guest post.

by Paul Willingham

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Last year I spotted a vanity plate that read “I TITHE” while driving through the “Devil’s Triangle”, a geometric bit of real estate in the northwest suburbs of the Twin Cities. I recently spotted another vanity plate (an excellent and apropos name for them) while again making my way through the intersections that make up the “Devil’s Triangle.

This area is bounded by US 169, County Road 81 and 85th Avenue and has been and still is the site of some major creeping and beeping rush hour traffic. The intersections are currently being rebuilt and the construction has only exacerbated the traffic issues. I’m beginning to think that it must be the air that permeates the atmosphere around the “Devil’s Triangle” as this one seemed even more egregious than the last one. It read “GOT MINE”. I can hardly wait to see what the next spring’s winning vanity plate will read.

What is the owner of that sporty little convertible trying to tell those of us who take the time to read the plate?. That he or she owns a piece of the Iron Range or the Homestead Mother Lode. Or perhaps works for the American Dairy Association and ‘L’ and ‘K’ were already taken. In this instance, the benefit of the doubt doesn’t apply. It means exactly what it says. “Ha, Ha, too bad. I’ve made it and you haven’t.”

I didn’t follow the car to see if “mine” included a 9 bedroom, 6 bathroom, mansion on the lake with an 8 car garage to shelter the companions of the sporty convertible. But in today’s culture “got mine” means possessions or the wherewithal to obtain them.

Sadly the “got mine” attitude defines the goal of a lot of people today, including some Christians. Economists are not in agreement as to what descriptive title to put on the current world wide economic crisis. And it seems to change daily. Years ago, an anonymous wag commented, “if all the economists in the world were laid end to end they would not reach a conclusion.”

The roots of the current financial malaise can be laid at the feet of the bigger than life “got mine” role models and the culture that lionizes them. Bigger bonuses, bigger cars, bigger titles, bigger boats, bigger houses, bigger stock options, the big corner office or what ever defines “mine”. None of us are completely immune from this attitude or mindset. I suspect we all have, in a moment of weakness, made a mental list of what we would do or buy should we reach success as the world measures it.

In Luke 12 Jesus relates a telling parable that is timely for any and every generation. Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” He said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops? And he said, I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.”

“And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:13-21 ESV)

I’ve often wonder if this parable is the origin of the old saying, “a fool and his money are soon parted.” “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” flies in the face of the “got mine” philosophy. Jesus rebukes the farmer for laying up treasure for himself and for not being rich toward God. This verse does not prohibit wealth but there is a clear warning concerning the dangerous eternal implications of wealth, with its seductive tendency toward complacency, self-sufficiency, and covetousness.

Jesus then turns to his disciples in verse 22 and 23 with the admonition, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food and the body more than clothing.” He follows that up with those familiar words about birds being cared for by God and how we are more important than birds.

In the old TV series, “The A-Team”, B A Baracus (portrayed by Mr. T) used the word fool in a derisive, disdainful and almost damning tone of voice. Whenever I read the 20th verse where God says “Fool” I hear B A Baracus growling ‘fool’ to some miscreant just before he throws him over the A-Team mini-van.

On the Day of Judgment, “got mine” will sound more like “gotcha”. When the time comes to stand before the Judgment Seat “well done, good and faithful servant” will be a far superior greeting than “fool.”

“Only one life, it will soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

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About Paul: My dad is a retired CPA living in the Twin Cities with my amazing mom. He is granddad to three boys and five girls and is an occasional golfer, skilled carpenter, accomplished handyman and master chef. He gets together with his 102-year old dad each week to work out their latest life-enhancing contraptions and home improvement projects. It goes without saying (even though I’m saying it) that my dad and mom follow Jesus well. See other posts from my dad here.

Photos: Weather Grain Bins by Richard Dows and Jester by Cecile K via Stock.xchng