🌿 Understanding Real Wealth

 

Dear Reader,

Today I found myself reflecting on the grandiosity of the planned ballroom at the White House. The thought stirred a question in me: What does it mean to have real wealth? In an age where billionaires flaunt their fortunes as symbols of importance, are the rest of us being inspired — or perhaps misled — by the pride of a few? Is that, in truth, what wealth is meant to be?

We live in a world that measures worth by accumulation — by what can be counted, displayed, or stored away. Yet the soul knows another truth. Real wealth is not what fills our pockets but what fills our hearts. It is measured in gratitude, generosity, and love, not in possessions, titles, or bank accounts.

Bill W. once observed that “material well-being always followed spiritual progress; it never preceded.” That wisdom still speaks today. When a person begins to grow spiritually, something remarkable happens: the need to possess begins to fade, and the joy of giving begins to rise. The more we open our hearts to God and to others, the more abundance we experience — not always in things, but in peace, purpose, and joy.

As Mother Teresa reminded us, “It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” True giving springs from the heart, not from the wallet. When our motives are pure, even the smallest act becomes immeasurable in worth.

Jesus warned, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15). Instead, He taught us to “store up treasures in heaven… for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19–21). The treasures of heaven are not found in gold or silver, but in compassion, forgiveness, and faithfulness.

Missionary Jim Elliott once said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” In that spirit, we discover that real wealth is found in what endures — faith, love, and the quiet assurance of a good conscience.

As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught, “Rich or poor, we are to ‘do what we can’ when others are in need.” Every act of kindness becomes a deposit in the eternal account of the soul.

And perhaps, as Henri Nouwen beautifully asked, we might end each day with questions like these: Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone’s face? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real measures of wealth — the kind that moth and rust cannot destroy.

So at the close of each day, perhaps the truest question is not “What did I gain?” but “Whom did I bless?” For in that answer lies the secret of real wealth.

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💭 Reflection & Discussion

1. When you think of “wealth,” what images or emotions arise first? How do those compare with the spiritual definition explored here?

2. Can you recall a time when giving brought more joy than receiving?

3. What does it mean to you that “material well-being follows spiritual progress”?

4. How might focusing on “treasures in heaven” change your daily goals?

5. Who in your life embodies the idea of real wealth through love or service?

6. What one act of giving today could enrich your soul and bless another’s life?