Things Money Can’t Buy

I was pondering, as I often do, about the complexities of life…in particular the things that are often overlooked or taken for granted. In this instance I was thinking about wealth vs. riches….or money in particular (which I do not have an over-abundance of at any given time) and the things that money can’t buy.

Money can buy material possessions…no doubt about that. However, money can’t buy contentment or satisfaction with those possessions. I’ve found that the more people buy, the more they tend to want.

Money can buy, to a certain extent, reputation…or at least give you a reputation for being someone “with money.” Money can’t buy character. A person’s character is much more important that reputation. Reputation is what people “think” you are, whereas, character is WHO you are.

Money can buy a pedigree dog, cat, or allow you to adopt a child. Money can’t buy the love, or even the respect, of a cat, dog, or child. Those have to be earned.

Money can buy you a scholarship, but money can’t buy you an “education.” Education is learning in action…and has to be earned by studiously applying oneself to acquiring knowledge.

Money can make you a popular person, but money can’t buy you a true friend. True friends are few and far between and are often those people who have seen us at our worst and who love us in spite of our faults…or maybe because of our faults…by that I mean that they know we aren’t perfect…we’re just like them…prone to failure and disappointment, but they know who we are on our good days and our bad days, and they love us anyway. I read recently that “The best antique is an old friend.” That is a very profound statement. I can count on one hand the “best” friends I’ve ever had. I can honestly say that although life has led us down different paths, and we’ve become different people from who we were as children and teenagers, when I’m with my friends again, it’s just like we’ve never been apart because we have a common history…a past we can reflect on and remember.

Money can buy a really nice, expensive house…but money doesn’t make a house a home. A home is a place where all are accepted, welcomed, and loved…a place that is lived in…a place of comfort and security…a sanctuary comprised of what is our most prized possessions….those that we love…our families.

Money can buy musical instruments, but money can’t buy talent or make you a renowned musician.

Money can buy expensive sports equipment, but money can’t buy coordination and skill in athletic ability.

Money can buy oils, paint, and canvas, but money can’t make one an artist of great masterpieces.

Money can buy you a Bible, but you can’t buy your way to Heaven. It is a gift offered freely to all.

Money can buy lots of things, but I’ve found that there is a lot more that money CAN’T buy: Money can’t buy trust….it can’t buy faithfulness….it can’t buy commitment; it can’t buy courage, or honor.

Money can’t buy the hugs or laughter of a child…money can’t buy the vibrant colors of a rainbow…or the smell of the air after rain.

Money can’t buy good health or true beauty….that beauty which is more than just “skin” deep.

Money can’t buy so many things, yet we spend our lives earning money to afford that which money does buy…the temporal possessions…and we overlook, or neglect, those rare priceless treasures that money just can’t buy.

I consider myself to be a woman of wealth…not of financial means, but in the people who adorn and enrich my life on a daily basis. My family, each a priceless, one-of-a-kind, treasure…. though imperfect and dysfunctional as all families are….my friends of long years, and those I’ve known only for a little while…they each and every one bless me in ways that money can’t buy…could never buy…not in a million years.

In closing, I hope I’ve given you something to think about. What are you investing your life in? That which money can buy? Or those truly priceless things that money CAN’T buy?

Til next time,

~*Starr*~