Three essentials for wealth and peace jumped at me from a tree!
No matter how smart or lucky you are, prosperity can elude your grasp.
You must grow 3 deep roots for a wealthy and peaceful life.
1. Be rich toward your family
Lots of folks waste a lifetime of pursuing careers first.
Far better, to invest energy and money in your family.
“I want all my children to have all the things I couldn’t afford. Then I want to move in with them.” Phyllis Diller
Phyllis Diller suffered numerous tragedies while making it big.
Two of her six children died and another was institutionalized.
Through all her travails, she sought refuge in a book she read in 1951: “The Magic of Believing,” by Claude Bristol.
Investing in family means believing in yourself as a leader and never giving up on the most important people in your life.
How does this work?
LSU!
- LOVE intelligently expressed
- SECURITY intelligently provided
- UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE intelligently supplied
Notice, I said “intelligently” because leading a family is harder than growing a career!
“Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.” Proverbs 20:15
Watch abundance grow by intelligently investing in family.
2. Be rich in faith
“I believe the most vital ingredient of resilience is faith,” says Dr. Frederic Flach in his classic work Resilience.
“Deep faith,” I would add.
Faith that is nurtured in time and trial.
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8
The Angel Oak Tree in South Carolina survived . . .
- floods
- lightning
- hurricanes
. . . for 500 years because it thrives with deep roots.
Faith is a conscious decision to put deep roots into a relationship with God.
“While I’d sung in a church choir and found it a great way to learn music, I regarded the concept of God outmoded. Instead, I had decided to anchor my faith in science. It took another ten years before I realized what an impoverished view that was.” Francis S. Collins, former leader of the Human Genome Project and current director of the National Institutes of Health.
Francis Collins abandoned his atheism and put deep roots in Christian faith.
He realized God is not limited by the confines of natural science.
I believe there is a unique optimism found only in Christian faith because of…
“…the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that are not.” Romans 4:17
This optimism is lifelong fuel for energy to overcome and energy to achieve.
3. Be rich toward your community
Before anyone ever helps you out in this world, you must first be generous because generous people will not associate with selfish jerks.
“To have a friend you must be one.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Nothing makes our family and community happier than to throw a party.
And so the Blaising family loves . . .
- Memorial day parties
- Dinner parties
- July 4th parties
- Football parties
- Christmas parties
Parties are a way to spread the love and revel in the things folks want.
- To be loved
- To belong
What would you add for overall wealth and peace?
I love your blogs, Steve! Always good food for the soul and Christian living.
Sandy
Good to hear from you Sandy! Thanks for your encouragement!