The Trials of Having Much

What's wrong with more?
What would you say if I said that the lavish riches King Solomon received was the cross that he had to bear for his life? Frankly, when God pointed that out to me, my first thoughts were "If that's a cross, let me have it." God was trying to teach me something - to 'Have' is not always better than to 'Have Not'.


Josh Sundquist
A few months ago I posted a link to a YouTube Video on Facebook  of a guy called Josh Sundquist: Josh Sundquist - Student Demo - Inspirational Speech.


I like his videos because he is genuinely funny and his videos are clever. What struck me even more after watching several of his videos was that he had only ONE leg! He lost his left leg to cancer as a seven year old child and it was really sad (his tells his story drawing them on a sketchbook in the videos - it's really cool); but because he's sitting in front of his computer in many of his videos and because he has such a bright, upbeat spirit, I didn't realise that he had lost a leg.


I thought I would get a massive response on Facebook to his video but all I got was 2 Likes - 1. My ever loyal and supportive wife (so maybe that's not even counted) and 2. My ex-Sunday School Superintendent.


Our sick hearts
Why were there such few responses? I came to the conclusion that it's the same as when we tell our children or when we heard as children "You better eat up all your food because there are starving children in Africa!" When has that ever taught us to be more appreciative of our food and to lick our platters clean?


We have never responded to this type of message because our hearts are basically orientated to wanting more, not less. When others have less than us, we are relieved that we 'have'. It drives us to want more, to get as far away from the 'have not' state as possible; rather than be thankful to God for what we have been blessed with. What God to know from me was "Do you believe that what you have is exactly what you need? Do you trust me?"

My Electric Blue Picanto
Have I ever told you about my electric blue Picanto? After a few years of running around Singapore by bus and MRT; and when the COE was at an all time low, I decided to buy a second car for myself. The price and the cute factor of the Picanto made it an obvious choice for me.


I decided to up the cute factor even further with two furry friends on the dashboard - Totoro (M) and Mr Nosey. 


A few months back when my wife, Marie and I were at a petrol station. The female pump attendant asked Marie when we stepped out of the car if the two toys were hers. 'No! They're his', she said. The pump attendant was so tickled by this that she couldn't stop laughing...and laughing ...and laughing. Well so much for my fragile male ego ....

Most days I enjoy zipping around in this little blue car. But there are some days, usually on days that don't go so well, that I look to the right and wonder why I'm not driving a Maserati or a Ferrari or a Porsche. Why do I not look left at the people crammed onto a bus and be thankful for my much improved situation? It's the "I want more; not less" Syndrome.


King Solomon and King David - whose life would you choose?
So coming back to King Solomon. God had blessed him with wisdom and wealth beyond any other man in the world at that time. As it is recorded in the Bible: "King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth." 1 Kings 10:23. 


As compared to King David, Solomon did not have to hide in caves, roam the country with his band of men like bandits, be chased by men intent on killing him - as was King David's lot. Yet his comfortable life did not engender a thankful spirit and faithfulness to God. In fact, they pulled him further and further away - "King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.”...He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray." (1 Kings 11:1-3) (OK, so you may argue that it's his many wives that pulled him away, not his wealth but I seriously doubt he could have had so many wives without first have the money).


As Christians who profess to believe in and love God, would you choose David's difficult life or Solomon's comfortable one? Is it the pursuit of comforts in our lives that drive our choices or the state of our hearts before God that matters?


"As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been." (1 Kings 11: 4).

Would you not agree that treasures and riches were Solomon's cross to bear in his life? Something to think about.


PS - just some housekeeping. I have just activated the 'RSS' thing on this blog (whatever that is). But now I am able to see my blog on my own mobile and it looks quite good (if I may say so myself). Do if you're keen ... please go ahead.