I know a man who had been married for many years and was miserable for most of them. He also lost all of his money in a failing business because he was too embarrassed to admit to himself and everyone else that it was time to walk away from his marriage as well as his business.
He went through his purge of letting go of everyone and everything that he felt enslaved to in some way. That is all behind him now. Today he is a free man.
He is now living out his dreams. He is in a new relationship in which he feels free to be himself, to express his true nature and the experience of giving and receiving love. He now runs a new and successful business that has always been his passion, but he was too scared to manifest it in the past.
In a recent meeting, when I asked him to tell me more about his new business, his tone of voice changed. He was hesitant, almost apologetic about what he was doing. Then it dawned on me that he was ashamed to admit to me that he was making a profit with his business. When I questioned him about it, he heaved a big sigh and confessed to me that he indeed felt uncomfortable about it. He was not used to earning a profit, and more than that, he was not comfortable admitting that as if that were a bad thing. Instead, he felt a need to justify his new venture by emphasizing how much his business was helping the environment. He was covering his shame with righteousness. But, what is there to feel ashamed about? I was puzzled.
“What’s the problem with making money and enjoying it?” I finally asked him.
He blushed. “I am not used to talking about money. I am not used to making money and certainly not used to enjoying what I do for a living. It feels almost shameful.”
Wow. I had to let that sink in for a moment. Where I come from, not making money was embarrassing. It seemed so foreign to me that there are people walking around who are ashamed about the fact that they are making a lot of money- and enjoying themselves in the process!
He further explained to me that in his upbringing, money is considered to be the root of all evil. So, if he has a surplus, it must mean he is a bad person in some way and one shouldn’t talk about such things.
His attitude toward money is unfortunately very common – completely unnecessary, very destructive - and repairable.
If you suffer from a love/hate relationship with money, consider this:
Success and prosperity are divinely ordained.
Adam and Eve were created to live in the Garden of Eden, the ultimate prosperity experience. All they had to do was to look at something, and they would connect to its essence, its blessings.
All the Patriarchs, Matriarchs, and all the main figures of the Bible were rich!
I refer to the Bible as the “Handbook of Humanity”. It is a prosperity textbook!
In Deutoronomy (Devarim) 8:18 it states, “But, you shall remember God, for it is He that give you power to get wealth.” The major figures of the Bible were either born prosperous, became prosperous or had access to riches whenever the need arose. They were all righteous! Among them were Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, King David, and King Solomon, the prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Nehemiah, Elijah, and Elisha).
In Proverbs (Mishlei) 13:18 it says, “Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuses instructions.”
Again, anyone who lives in any form of poverty, has a poverty mentality, is violating the spiritual laws!
It is your God-given right to be prosperous, and therefore it is also your God-given right to desire it – as long as it is for the sake of adding value to other people’s lives.
Is food spiritual? Are material objects spiritual? Is money spiritual?
Yes, if you are thinking how to use them for the sake of sharing, imparting goodness, adding value to other people’s lives.
So how can you become more prosperous?
By acting like the Light. In other words, ask yourself all day long, “How can I add value to other people’s lives?” Then follow your intuition because the secret of prosperity is that you are already rich! And you deserve to live rich. You can reveal the wealth that is already inside you by expressing your willingness to share it with others for the greater good of everyone.
May you share greatly and prosper.
