Today, I take a step back. A step back to look at what really matters. See living in LA, and not just in LA, but in the current state of society - we are being programmed and persuaded to place value in, things. THINGS that carry no real value; not in the long-term…and honestly not even in the short-term. We live in a society full of a people who I have heard dubbed as “thousand dollar millionaires” (which I thought was an incredibly well thought out description) aka people who are “hood rich” aka people who live outside of their means aka people who care more about the items (they can’t afford) they can possess than they do the relationships they can create/keep.
You see we live in a time where the price tag on your car or the brand of your clothes is thought of as a defining factor of who you are or what kind of person you can be. Our value is placed in a literal quantifiable figure. Now don’t get me wrong - I like nice things. I like Ferrari’s, I would love to own a mansion in the hills, a Presidential Rolex would be nice and who wouldn’t want their very own helicopter/pilot.. However, I don’t place the value of a person in any of these things.
The value of a person is not quantifiable. Shoot - it’s not even qualifiable. If we are being honest, God doesn’t value you based on your “quality”, He values us because He loves us.
See gold tarnishes, clothes go out of style, cars lose their smell and the house you live in doesn’t signify how well you treat people.
The only thing that matters in the world is LOVE. Love for God, love for your self and love for others. I could honestly care less what kind of socioeconomic status someone falls in…because character, intelligence, integrity, loyalty, honesty, respect, work ethic and accountability do not belong to any one single group of people - be it a race, a gender or a financial status.
But let’s not get this twisted - whether we have or don’t have…we are all in the same boat and are all equally accountable. We can have exotic cars, multiple homes, designer clothes and be able to afford trips around the world…in fact we should WANT these things. I’m just saying we shouldn’t want these things MORE than we want to be good people. We shouldn’t want these things MORE than we want to love and respect ourselves or others. We should not be sacrificing our morals or our values for what doesn’t not actually have ETERNAL VALUE.
The problem DOES NOT lie in having things…because we serve a God that has all of the resources in the universe. We could ALL have Ferrari’s if He wanted it that way. The problem lies in where we place these items. We CANNOT place these items so high on our life scale that they become idols. The Bible doesn’t say “don’t have nice things” - it says “don’t worship false idols”.
When I was young and naive - I used to place more value in who/what had the most “bling” to it/them. However, now, I place value in who “shines” the brightest. But I’m not talking about what they have that is the “shiniest" and “nicest” - I’m talking about the everlasting light that is within them. The light that SHINES so bright because of the fact that they care about people, they care about themselves, they want to make the world a better place. They place value in what actually matters; LOVE.
Money will never make someone a better person - it will only amplify who they already are. He who is faithful with little will be faithful with a lot.
Colossians 3:12-14
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Now that I’m getting a little older (still only the young age of 24) - I know what matters to me most. Love. Love for God. My family. My friends.
1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
The richest men in the world are poor if they don’t have love. Love is the one thing that money cannot truly buy. If you don’t believe me - then look at some of the “richest’” superstars in the world. I pray for them constantly because a lot of them feel lonely or have drug addiction….they have all of this money yet time and time again they commit suicide for lack of feeling love. REAL LOVE. Not love for who people think they are/want them to be..but love for who they really are beyond their money or talents.
True happiness…it’s priceless. It is INVALUABLE. God’s love for you…it’s invaluable. You couldn’t earn it even if you tried. And you could certainly never sell it. You can only receive it. God’s love for you is eternal. It is not present or contingent upon time. That’s why the people who have made the biggest impact on this world are those who changed people for the better. They are those who opened up our world to experiencing more love - whether that was through music, civil rights movements, art, THE BIBLE (HELLO) …anything that opens our world up to LOVE will live on. These things are timeless. Everything else is running out of time from the moment you see it in the store or put it in your closet…they are time-LESS.
Again - I AM NOT SAYING TO NOT WANT/GET NICE THINGS. Because I WANT/HAVE NICE THINGS. Just don’t place improper value in these things. A Bugatti may run you 1.7 M - but love is priceless. So go on and get yo Bugatti homie, just make sure you love people on the way. Make sure you love God and thank Him every step of the way. Make sure you impact lives for the better. Make sure you find REAL LOVE for yourself and for others.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
You can tell how rich a man is by his spirit, by his friends, by his significant other and his family. Don’t go trading away your invaluables for things that lose their smell. A truly rich man is humble…because he knows that he isn’t in control. God is. We have because God gave.
“He who finds a wife finds a good thing.” Not “He who drives a Rolls Royce finds a good thing.”
We can all change the world. We can change it today. And we can be a change EVERY DAY by doing “THE ONE THING” - spreading love.
1 Corinthians 13:3-7
If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
XOXO, ALEX DRY