As a medium of exchange in our world today, I see money as a manifestation of what God is doing with each of us. Our relationship to money is then a reflection of our relationship to God. Right now, we can choose to be open to allowing ourselves to have a greater relationship with money just as we can choose in each moment to have an ever-greater relationship with God.
My source of wealth is God, and that's an invisible source. When I go to the bank, cash a check, or receive any form of value as an increase in my wealth, I look to God as my source. However, when I look, I often don't see the tracks. I don't see how the exchange of money was done as a direct outcome of what God is doing in this world.
Through my faith and trust in God, I know God is the source of my wealth. "In God We Trust" is printed on American primary monetary system. When we have that trust in God, the infinite power of good, there is great peace, calm and a sense of blessing in our life. We all have the destiny to be unshakable in our confidence that we are blessed.
Knowing we are blessed is not about what somebody says or what happens in the world. It's not about how much money is in the bank, where the decimal is on the financial report, or if it's in "the red" or "the black." All of that information is really arbitrary.
What matters most is our attitude toward money. If we have an attitude that the money we have is limited, meaning we don't perceive that there's a source of supply for additional money, then we can look at money as something that we have to hang onto and watch very carefully. We can create a sense of desperation such that people do desperate things to get it, such as lie, cheat, steal, or even kill in order to have it. Those types of actions are based on a deep sense of lack or a threat that our survival is based on that medium of exchange.
Practically speaking, money of itself as paper and coins has very little value for our survival in this world. It's more important to look at what is behind the money as a representation of our energy. Money is a valuable commodity for learning how to take care of ourselves and identifying our priorities. It is a great commodity for identifying our needs and our values. Money then helps us focus on what is really important in our lives.
We can learn how to more effectively use money as a medium of exchange, even when it appears to be in limited supply. Even though there is a limited amount of money in the world, there is more than enough to exchange what is truly valuable. There are more than enough resources here in the world to abundantly take care of everyone and everything, as God is the provider of it all.
Look within to the true source of your wealth. Look for things in your life that represent abundance, health and happiness, all the blessings already present. That's the natural exchange, and it comes out of your worship and faith. With trust in God, all things are possible. Eventually, we all learn that we have more than enough.
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John Morton, D.S.S., is the Spiritual Director of the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness (MSIA) and the author of the The Blessings Already Are and You Are the Blessings: Meditations and Reflections on Life, God and Us. Learn more about John's works at www.JohnMortonMinistries.org. Contact John at goto@johnmortonministries.org.
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