When we first get a taste of earning our own money, the desire for riches sets in. I recall earning my first pocket money… a one bob (a Shilling ~ 10 cents). That was a lot. I ran down to the local corner store and selected my own bag of lollies… yep, that was when you could get a whole bag for 10 cents!
As I grew up and got a part time job peeling spuds and chipping them in the Fish & Chip shop, I could pay to go to the movies, buy a burger and drink. As the savings grew, I could buy just about anything I wanted; models, remote controlled aircraft, comics, a .22 rifle.
Entering the full time workforce, I bought my first four wheel drive, brand new, traded it in for a Mazda RX7. Then another Toyota 4×4, a 3 bedroom house, a holiday to the USA for 3 months and visit other holiday destinations.
Cars, houses, travel. All good, but I wanted more…
I was following in the footsteps of my Dad.
He started with nothing. Became a Merchant Seaman, traveled the world, landed in Australia with 5 Pounds. Worked hard in the Queensland Cane fields, sheep shearing in the Outback, Mining at Mt. Isa and earned enough to buy his own fast food business. Sold it, started another; bigger, better. Moved to the Sunshine Coast and established another, bigger, better. Sold & bought, each time bigger, better. Until his last business that went into a Center too early…a ‘white elephant’ as they say. He lost it all. He downsized to a cottage and retired.
All that hard work… he was worn out and the long hours and stress impacted his relationship with us kids, any friends and even his heart. He had overdone it in the pursuit of riches. The realisation that relationships were more important than pursuing riches came much later in life.
Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.
Proverbs 23:4
This was my wake up call.
Enjoy the journey, value each relationship, pursue love, and don’t burn out along the way.