The Real Cost of Wanting More | Trinity Talks Podcast

Hello everyone and welcome to this week's episode

of Trinity Talks. My name is Kyla. I'm Jordana.

My name is Bill. And I'm Johanna. And we are

here to continue our conversation about sin,

but very specifically today we are talking about

greed. And sometimes we don't think about greed,

like it's become so normalized, I think. Yeah,

it's one of those things that, yeah, we just

don't, we don't think about greed as something

that's you know a terrible thing right because

it's we all need stuff so we just we just keep

accumulating stuff yeah yeah i think what uh

of all the seven deadly sins greed might be the

one you don't see coming yeah yeah i think we

that's uh that's that's that makes it even more

difficult to to identify yeah and i think that

you don't see it coming when you consider yourself

middle class, right? We think of like the billionaires

of the world and go, why do they need even more

and more? Why do they act the way they do? And

so it's always somebody else who's greedy. So

it's not, I feel like we have a culture in which

we can recognize greed in everybody, in other

people, a particular kinds of people. It's the

ways in which we are implicated that's so hard

to disentangle. And as Rob said in the sermon,

it's naturalized in us, in our culture. So we

don't see it, we just think it's normal and we

think it's just part of what we're supposed to

do and what's acceptable in our culture and in

our community. Yeah, so that being said, if it's

sort of normalized, I think it would be helpful

for us to sort of have a definition of what is

this thing that we're talking about. So yeah,

what is greed? What does it look like? How do

we know it when we see it? Johanna, what do you

think? I feel like greed is probably when you

already have enough of something, but you still

have that like really deep want for more of it.

Okay, yeah. Yeah, so it's not just, it's like

we have the stuff, but we want more stuff. Yeah.

Yeah. Like it's never enough. Like you're just

constantly chasing after it. Yeah. Yeah. Hamster

on a wheel. What she said. That's exactly what

I was going to say. I agree. Greed is never enough.

Yeah. I think it's, Gianna's just got the heart

of it. It's that desire, right? It's, it's, it's,

it's not just the stuff itself. It's actually

that constant... unfulfilled desire that tries

you get try to fulfill through either the things

or the money or the things that money can buy.

Right. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think again, when

I kind of reflecting on greed, it's just good.

I went all the way back to kindergarten. It's

like, what's the, you know, all the things I

need to know I learned in kindergarten, you know,

that thing. Right. I think greed was one of the

things that was covered. It's, you know, it's

pretty basic that way. And I, you know, I just,

I thought of, you know, the kid in kindergarten

who's like grabbing up all the toys and wanting

to play all the toys with all the toys himself.

And, uh, and I'm pretty sure I was probably that

kid in kindergarten. And, uh, and I just, kind

of just remember, you know, that the teacher,

you know, saying, okay, Billy, you know, you

can't play with all the toys yourself. Don't

be greedy. Right. Right. Just, you know, share

the toys so everyone can play together. Right.

Play nice. And yeah, I think that's kind of so

great for me. It seems like it was, you know,

covered covered early on. So, I mean, it's so

in a way that it's it's addressed and we and

we learn how to and we've from a very early age,

we've learned how to not be greedy and how to

share. I think it's still insidious in our culture

because of it being accepted and normalized.

And we have different definitions for that kind

of grasping and grabbing as adults, right? Like

we want to be secure. We want to be, you know,

I mean, that's crute. from C .S. Lewis quote

about, we call it planning. We call it security.

It's not just the wanting of stuff. It's the

feelings we give up that we invest in these things

to give us. I think that so much goes to the

heart of greed. What are we asking money to do

for us? And then you get a sense of what you're

trusting money to do for you and where you're

placing your trust. And I think when we talk

about greed, you need to understand that it's

a feeling first. and then an action after, right?

So that desire Jordan you're talking about that,

you know, that's the feeling that creates. the

motivation to act greedily, right? Sure, sure.

And grabbing. The word grabbing just came up

as I was thinking through greed because you're

just grabbing up everything. But it comes from

that desire first to have more and that there's

never enough. And then you just kind of spend

your time and you're so focused on just taking

as much as you can for yourself. Yeah. Yeah,

I think you're right that it does, the feeling

precedes the action, but I think sometimes we

don't recognize the feeling, and we don't stop

to name the feeling. It is, yeah, like you said,

we call it security, we call it planning, we

think of it as, especially, the thing that comes

to mind for me is this scarcity mindset that

we often have, which is like, I need to have

enough. There is not enough in the world for

everyone. And so I need to make sure that like

I have enough for me because there cannot possibly

like if I let go of this, then there cannot possibly

be enough. Right. Yeah. I mean, the thing about

the scarcity mindset is, as we can see from our

environmental crisis, there are resources that

are not enough for everyone's greed, you know,

and so I'm not sure whether just shifting a mindset

from scarcity to there's plenty and we can all

have all we want is necessarily going to solve

that issue. Sure. Right. And so, you know, to

recognize, I think this is where honestly, it's

God that comes in, right? Like at the heart of

this, it's, you know, what are the feelings and

what kind of meaning are we investing in this

stuff, right? If we want it so much, those feelings

can sometimes point to legitimate things. Like

we do want to have food, you know, and as a mom,

I would like my kids to be able to go to college.

And in that sense, that means putting aside some

money for the future and not just saying, oh,

this is all I need for today or this week. Right.

And so that's where I find the the tension between

planning and greed, like I'm constantly walking

those, you know, what is enough, not just for

now, but for planning for the future and what

is too much or what is, you know, how afraid

I am that I want to put so much away. And so

that's where I find it really difficult to sometimes,

you know, recognize what is necessary, because

even for the future, you don't need huge amounts.

Right. Right. And at the same time, there's so

much answer. that you want the certainty to be

in those, you know, those funds that are there,

for example. So, yeah. Yeah, and I mean, I think

we need to be careful as we're talking about

all this and future planning, right? Like, we're

not, I'm not saying, and I think you're not saying...

We're not saying don't plan. Right, yes, we're

not saying don't plan. We're not saying don't

have savings, you know, that sort of thing. But

it's, yeah, it's that really fine line between

like, what is enough and what is... So enough

is a really kind of important word in my thinking

when talking about greed, because I think we

need to figure out for ourselves what is enough,

right? In order to kind of get a grip or an understanding

of greed in our own life, we need to understand

for ourselves or for our family what is enough.

And once we can identify what enough is, then

we have a goal to reach for that we can plan

for and we can work towards so that we have enough.

And then we also can use that as a guide. So

if we're going past that, then we can identify

that as, okay, now I'm being greedy. I've gone

past what I need for my family and I'm getting

more and more and more and that's too much. So

I think we need to figure out what is enough.

And I think the problem with with greed or when

greed has a hold on people's lives It's the attitude

is like you said, there's never enough Yeah,

right And then that's the mentality and if your

mentality is never enough then you don't have

that goal of what is enough you don't have that

guideline of what is what then is too much and

Then and then the other kind of coming out on

the other side of it is the the attitude of of

saying I have enough Right just recognizing when

you've got to that point and just being content

and grateful and thankful for what you have.

And I think that is when you're kind of turning

the corner on greed in terms of our own attitude

and mindset is the contentment of knowing you've

done the planning, you've done the hard work,

you've saved the money and you're in that guide

that you've set yourself and you can say, You

know, I have enough. I'm content. And you don't

have to, and you can, you don't have to be, the

hold on greed doesn't have to be in your life.

Sure. So you were talking about, you know, trying

to figure out what is enough for you. So what

does that look like practically? Is that like

budgeting? Is that like setting a goal for yourself?

Like what? Now, you're getting into money. I

would really pull in my wife at this point. I'm

pretty sure the answer is budget. That's beyond

my pay grade. Having a plan and keeping to a

budget. Rob talked about some of the ... practical

stuff around money and having a proper place

in your life. A lot of that is just doing that

kind of assessment. What am I spending now? Identifying

what's necessary, what's needed, what's not,

and what's extra. Just being able to adjust your

budget, your spending accordingly. And that you

can find that, you know, kind of contentment

groove. Sure, sure. Yeah. So I'm wondering, we

have spent a lot of time talking about money

and material possessions. How do we know in ourselves,

like what are some sort of signs that we have

a healthy relationship with money or that we

are maybe sort of have an unhealthy relationship?

Maybe that's greed, maybe that's something else,

but like for yourselves, how do you know? I think

I think yeah, sorry. Go ahead. No, I was just

gonna say the The challenge for me. Yeah Is to

recognize that the money's not mine. Ah, yeah,

you know what I mean? Like it's not just about

enough It's the fact that so often you feel like

it's yours because you earned it Yeah, right.

It's this notion of mine. This is mine to do

as I want and to fulfill my needs as I want,

as opposed to this is a gift given. And so it's

so easy to forget that, right? Because we do

work and we do work hard to earn a paycheck and

to have enough for families, for our family,

et cetera. And so that notion that it's all grace,

it's all a gift, I think that's the challenge

for me. It begins lower than, below and more

deeply than me assessing what is enough for my

money. It's actually, where do I put my trust

and whose is this really? And then I can say,

okay, God's given me this for my needs and He's

given me more, right, and what? As well, and

so. Yeah, I just find that that space where the

struggle lies is in remembering who's this thing.

Right. Yeah. Rather than, yeah. Yeah. It goes

back to that verse that Rob mentioned in the

sermon. The earth is the Lord's and everything

in it. Everything that we claim and hold as ours

is really, we're stewards of it rather than owners

of it. We don't own it. We loan it. Or it's loaned

to us. Yeah, I think for me, when I think about

my own relationship with money, so I grew up

in a family, there's four kids, so there's six

of us living on a pastor's salary and my mom

wasn't working. And there was never a moment

where I really felt like, oh, we didn't have

enough money, like my parents did a really good

job taking care of us. But there was a sort of

general sense of like, we're not being extravagant

with our money. And that is something that still

eats at the back of my brain. In any moment,

I'm like, oh, do I have enough money to do this

thing? And if I look at my bank account, yes,

I am fine. But those moments where I find myself

being stingy in ways that I don't need to be

is a reminder for me that my relationship with

money isn't something that like I need to like

be as cognizant about like yes be responsible

but like don't let it be the controlling factor

of like you know am I gonna go out for dinner

or do I have enough money to like tithe this

month or like whatever it is right yeah you know

sorry I'm talking a lot um your um story reminds

me of this really amazing little story told by

this writer called Wendy Wazirstein. And she

talks about how the monks, you know, they've

taken their vows of poverty and greed comes to

tempt them and she tempts them with all these

extra things and they easily dismiss her. Yeah.

Right. And so she goes away, puts on the garb

of thrift and comes back. Yeah. And they go for

it. Yeah. And so why? Because it's good to save,

right? It's good to be thrifty. It's good to

stay on a little. But the underlying the underlying

heart condition that exposed was the trust in

material things as opposed to God's generosity

to meet your needs. And so it was this focus

on the material to meet your security needs.

And that's how... you know, they weren't necessarily

tempted by lots of stuff. They were actually

tempted by being thrifty and stingy and holding

on to what they had. See, that feels very true

to me. And I think that can be that too, you

know, that sense that, oh, I'm living in the

simple way, but I'm not giving a lot, like I'm

not releasing. And I think the antidote to greed

is not either thrift or extravagance, sorry,

but sort of... that space of letting go of your

hold on the material as the place where you find

that meaning. So that's I think where... where

it's hard to walk that line. So you were saying

earlier that being in the middle class, we kind

of give ourselves a bye, or at least we could

potentially be doing that. But I want to kind

of highlight that greed is not just the domain

of the rich, but also the middle class and also

the poor. And that sense of scarcity mentality

can be, everyone can have that sense, right?

So I was thinking back to a time when I was in

a meal, a dinner program for homeless in downtown

Toronto. And a guy came in, he went straight

to the front of the line, he grabbed up as much

food as he could put on his plate, and more so,

and then he started putting stuff in his pocket.

He didn't care about anybody else or if there

was enough, or he was just grabbing up all that

he can for himself. And he went and sat down

and he ate, and then everyone else got food.

And there was another homeless person at this

sheltered dinner. And she got her plate and sat

down. And shortly after that, someone came in

late. And unfortunately, there was no food left.

So that person didn't have any. And so the woman

who had taken her share and what was enough,

like earlier we were talking about, I have enough.

She took what was enough for her. And when she

saw that the guy didn't have came in and there

was no food left, she motioned him over and she

shared with him what was enough for her. But

it also worked for the two of them. Right. Right.

And so, you know, whether you're rich, whether

you're middle class, whether you're poor, whether

you're in poverty and homeless, that sense of

scarcity mentality can affect us and we can just

we can be greedy. And we can be poor and greedy,

right? And just grab everything up just for ourselves,

don't care about anybody else. But we can also

be like that woman who knew what enough was,

took enough for her. But then when an opportunity

to share and be generous came up, she took that

opportunity and she shared with what she had

so that together both of them were able to eat.

And I think that is the, you talked about the

antithesis of greed is generosity. And I think

just as we mentioned earlier that, you know,

greed is a feeling first and an action after.

I think generosity is the same way. Generosity

is a feeling first. It's an attitude. It's a

character within us. But it must have an action.

And that action is sharing what we have. And

you get to the point where, or hopefully, you

get to the point where you say, I have more than

enough, right? And then out of my abundance,

you're more than seven articles of clothing from

the service, the example that was given. We can

share with what we have, whether that's food

or whether that's money or our time, and give

to those who have less. The practice of generosity

is a character that is built through discipline,

and as we mature as followers of Christ, and

it's lived out in our lives through being there,

being present, and making a difference in the

lives of people who have less in our community.

Yeah. What do you think, Johanna? What has greed

sort of looked like, or when you think about

that? Yeah, now you're supposed to do your laugh.

What? I can't control that. I mean, just thinking

about like scarcity mindset made me think about

I was listening to this other podcast and they

were saying in the podcast of like living by

an abundance mindset is better than a scarcity

mindset. And the whole logic behind that was.

What was it? Oh, it was like when you're when

you're in a scarcity mindset, you perceive a

lack of something, whether it's money or food

or whatever resource. And so because your brain

has that, like, oh, my gosh, there's a lack like

you're thinking that then you're going to just

think about it more and more that I'm lacking

this thing. And like, it's just going to be like

a. fixated thought that you have versus when

you live in an abundance mindset then it's like

there's enough of everything to go around and

so I don't need to covet more than what comes

to me and whatever comes to me comes to me and

whatever does it doesn't right and it's just

more of like a like a laissez faire kind of passive

approach that uh to combat and greed I guess

of just relaxing, just chilling with it. And

I had this other quote that I read somewhere.

It was like, worrying about something is almost

like worshiping something. So just like, with

things like resources, it's really easy to worry

about, how am I going to be able to afford this

or whatever else? Because those are legitimate

fears to have. I don't know, it can be kind of

comforting to know that money comes and goes

and all those things. It's also kind of easier,

I guess, though, where I'm at in life, because

that's very much true. I don't have any dependents

or whatever, so I can just kind of relax. But

it probably would be harder for someone like

you, I guess, with your four? Two. Two. Oh, you

were the one with four siblings and tickets.

Right. My bad. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think the

thing about the abundance mindset, I think you're

right that it is, it puts us into a better frame

of mind. But the quote, the little catchphrase

thing that comes to mind for me is like, there's

enough for everyone's need, but not enough for

everyone's greed. Right. Right. It's like there

is enough. Like if we were to like actually steward

all of our resources well and like care deeply

and justly for one another, we would be fine.

But if the standard for enough is like the Elon

Musk's of the world, then no, there is not enough.

Yeah. Right. But it's yeah. So it's all about

sort of what about what that abundance means

and like where we draw that line for ourselves,

I guess. Yeah. That's a great communal mindset

to have. Globally, it would be amazing to have

that communal mindset. In terms of food, the

World Health Organization says there is enough

food for the population. The problem is, it breaks

down very quickly as soon as one person takes

more. Then another person sees that person take

more, and then they take more. But except on

a global scale, it's nations. One nation is grabbing

up. way more resources than other, and then they're

like, oh, well now we have to grab up and it

just kind of breaks down. Also the waste component,

people wasting a lot of resources because they

buy so many groceries and then the groceries

are sitting in their fridge and they go bad and

they toss them out when that could have been

eaten perchance. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Or like the

groceries that never even leave the grocery store.

Yeah, that's it. Go bad there. Yeah. Right. Like,

yeah. Yeah, there is. There is a lot of waste.

Yeah. A big connection there between greed and

waste, I think, because we. Yeah, if we think

we need so much and then we have more than we

actually know what to do with. Well, it's almost

even a pride issue at that point, this point

or one of the other Deadly Sins. Because you

can actually say, we have so much, we can waste

so much food and we still have enough, right?

Aren't we amazing that we've got this set up

that we can do that, right? And today, you've

also got entire industries based on that, right?

Planned obsolescence of computers like this.

You know, that many years you have to buy a new

computer. I mean, fashion and trends and everything

from interior decorating to what we wear is just

so based on that kind of waste, constant waste.

And so, I don't know, it just feels like entire

industries are structured to to sort of make

us on the one hand feel greedy and on the other

hand not price things as they should be. I think

one of the things about greed is that because

you focus on the material to such an extent,

you can also sort of not adequately value the

things you have. Like it's worth valuing things

for what they are. They're good gifts from God,

right? Like so value it the way it should be

and not too much, but also not too little, not

just throw away at hell times. And so those are

some of the sort of tensions, I think, of living

through this particular sin. Yeah, yeah, for

sure. So, we've talked a little about greed in

terms of money and material things. Does greed

show up in other ways in our lives? Like, can

we be greedy for... I guess we talk about greedy

for or lust for maybe power. For example, like

is that a kind of greed? Well, my kindergarten

example was with toys. Yes. So you're greedy

with your toys. With your toys, yes. And that's

where it all starts. I think greed for status

maybe. Stuff like that. Greed to keep up with

trends. Those are status markers, right? It's

not just money and material possessions. It's

what can't. what can money buy? I think we want

those vacations every year, for example. Not

just a vacation that goes close by, a vacation

that goes across the world, to Bali, to Tuscany,

I don't know. I'm telling you where I fantasize

about, of course. I mean, that's, I think, when

we talk about greed, we're talking so much about

what do we want to buy us, the values that we

have, the experiences we want to value, and then

that we keep wanting more money to fuel. I think

you can be greedy for influence as well. Could

you be greedy for time? Yes, this is my time.

So expand on that. What would that look like?

Well, just what I thought of was I have this

one friend and Wanted to play roblox with them,

but they don't want to play roblox with me because

they were busy with someone else And so I had

no one to play roblox with me even though we

played roblox like a couple times this week And

it's like I'm low -key being a little greedy

for time on roblox with my friend, right? I'm

like greedy for their attention Yeah, like yeah,

it's fun playing with them. Yeah. Yeah, and and

like I don't so I would be careful In calling

that greed because I think There could be a sense

in which you know if that becomes like a dominant

personality trait for you that maybe that's greedy

but like I don't know. I feel like it's fine

to be like, oh, I wish I really could have played

with my friend. It's like what we then do with

that feeling. It actually crushed me, broke me.

Like really? Really? No, no, okay. If you were

demanding more time from your friends and that

was taking time away from them to be with their

family or with other friends, right? Then that's

greed in the same way that you're taking more

money and other people as a result have less,

right? Or you take more food because you're hungry

and you're greedy around food and then other

people have less food, right? So if you're greedy

with time. I like that. I like that. It's just

saying, you know, I'm taking, I'm taking, it's

not just greeting of your own time, but it's

like, I'm taking other people's time and keeping

it for myself. And then those people have less

time with other people, their loved ones. I didn't

know Roblox could be so destructive. Insidious.

Yeah, it's like some great Eva. Yeah. So, You

said something about being greedy for influence

or status. What does that look like? Wanting

everyone to know that you are all powerful, I

guess. Wanting admiration, right? We want people

to look up to you, to recognize you. Yeah, yeah,

I think it's yeah greedy for recognition That's

like that that's where the influence gets you

It's hard because everyone kind of wants to be

recognized I think like whether it's like at

work or like with your friends or like if you

want to be down in the history books I don't

know like everyone kind of wants to leave a mark.

I think mm -hmm So it's like hard to not be greedy

for it. I think Yeah. So recognition on its own,

I think it depends on what you want to be recognized

for and who you want to be recognized by. I mean,

to the extent that if you want to bring this

back to Jesus, like Jesus died for, if you want

to, you know, each one of us. The ultimate recognition

is sacrifice for us. To what extent do we lean

into that love and know that it is unshakable?

Right. Right. There is first that, that He sees

you. and he loves you, right? To lean into that

can let you sort of let go of some of the more

unhealthy ways in which you can crave recognition

or admiration from other people, right? And then

you can lean into the fact that your family loves

you and you are important. And so there are so

many ways in which we can say recognition because

we... we have a dignity that we are given both

by God, by our family members, and we can lean

into that and let go of some of the more ephemeral

ways in which we might seek recognition, for

example. And so that's sort of where I'd say

recognition matters for our dignity. But where

we seek that recognition from and how we lean

into it can either be destructive or can be really

healthy, right? Yeah, I mean, I think there's

nothing wrong with seeking some kind of recognition,

right? Like, yeah, like you said, it's love that

comes from Christ or that comes from family or

friends. That is a kind of recognition and it's

okay to want that, I think. It's greed, all of

the sins, but greed is so hard because it is

that... fine line that happens in your head right

between like this is okay to want and like I'm

you go from this is okay to like I'm gonna strive

and do everything that I can to like get this

thing right I feel like that's where it becomes

yeah a kind of greed yep yeah I would agree yeah

so we've spent a lot of time now talking about

some of the problems of greed some of the ways

that it shows up in our lives What are some antidotes

to greed? How can we move forward in healthy,

sort of hopeful ways? Abundance mindset. Okay,

yeah? Yeah, just have it. Just have an abundance

mindset. Yeah, it's not that easy, I guess. And

it definitely would take adjusting to and just

thinking of like, I don't know, just really decenter

things from life. And it's like, there's so much

more than wanting. I don't know. Yeah, it's not

easy though, so I still want things, but I don't

know. I feel like it's helped with greed. Yeah,

for sure. Just to be able to like shift your

thoughts and say like, no, there is enough. Yeah.

Let's be chill. I'm fine. I have 11 pairs of

these at home. It's fine. I don't need to buy

another. So that's your enough? 11 pairs? 11

is a pretty good number. Yeah, you have one pair

every day and that's them. Other practices? Other

sort of ways? I was going to say ask where your

material things come from and what are they for.

Okay. Right. And so that you are remembering

that they're coming from God. Right. Yep. And

what are they for? Yeah. Right. And to that extent,

I'm hoping for me, and this is very personal

here, that I'm sort of able to open my hands

from this clutching it tightly thing that I've

got going and say, okay, this is not... I might

have worked for it, yes, but that itself, that

work is a gift. The ability to do that is a gift.

It's come as a gift. So what is it for? Yes,

it's for me to eat and to take care of my family

and so much more in terms of sharing. So you

said, you know, talking about where things have

come from and ultimately from God. Yes. But the

first thing that came to mind for me is like,

where did this thing, this shirt, this car, this

phone, where did it actually come from? Right.

Right. Like what were the component parts into

making this and getting it from wherever it was

to me? Right. And I think thinking about that

process is also really helpful. Yes. Right. Because

it reminds me, OK, there is physical impact in

the world. There's humans behind this product.

There's humans behind this product. There's like

nature and like natural resources that went into

giving me this product. And often the greed machine

has that there's negative parts to that process.

It's out of sight and so we never want to think

about it, right? Yeah, but if we can stop to

think about it, again it's not you know, the

silver bullet solution, but it is something that

I think helps me remember, okay, why do I need

two of this if the impact is so large? Yeah,

I know that's good as part of having a global

understanding on the impact of greed, you know,

in corporations and government and, you know,

and that trickling down to our purchasing patterns.

Yeah, that's helpful for me. And maybe affecting

that. Yeah, go ahead. I was just gonna say that's

helped for me too of like thinking about the

background specifically for fashion because it's

really easy to see a bunch of videos of someone

wearing something that looks really cool and

like it's everyone's wearing them so it's a bunch

of videos like a lot and you want it too but

you can't have it because it's like I already

have something similar or I'm not gonna wear

it enough times to really justify making the

purchase even from a financial standpoint. And

then there's like that human aspect of like,

is this even worth it? Like the underpaid children,

like I don't want to be, I don't really want

to have pieces like that in my wardrobe just

to sit there. So yeah, it makes me feel bad.

And then I just don't buy the clothes. Yeah.

Yeah. That's a good perspective. I think so spiritually

and in terms of our faith journey. I think like

so many of the seven deadly sins we've talked

about already and maybe a few more that we're

going to talk about, I think the ultimate answer

for us is Jesus. And if we put our focus on Jesus

and that is where our energy is, that is where

our heart is, then greed does not have the same

kind of an effect on us and in our lives. I don't

say that to make it sound like it's easy or supposed

to be easy because it's not. It is a discipline.

It is something that hopefully you get better

at over time if you're being intentional about

it. But as a follower of Christ, we have that

resource available to us where we can seek. You

know Jesus in as that primary in our in our life

and so we're not You know the so money can have

its place and and the other kind of resources

that we that we need can have that place and

I think that it also is the source of the contentment

which I think is is so crucial to To kind of

cutting the legs of greed because if we can if

we could learn to be content with what we have

then then greed loses its hold on us yeah yeah

for sure for sure um something else i thought

of was just remembering how many things that

are commonplace and like normal in our lives

are actually kind of luxuries i guess yes like

with the fashion example i'm just gonna build

off of that i guess it's like you know looking

cute that's not something that people could do

a few couple years ago. Like you would have to

be an aristocrat to wear the color purple or

whatever. So just to, I guess prioritize your

wants over people's wellbeing and stuff. So you

want to look cute, so you buy the thing and you're

just not gonna think about. the exploitation

that's happening because you want the thing so

badly that it's not even going to be a staple

of your wardrobe in a few weeks. But yeah, just

remembering that a lot of the things that we

want and like are within reach for us, that's

why we want them, I guess. Then like, they're

not commonplace really. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Putting yourself in like the grand scheme of

the current globe, but also like the history

of humanity right it's like yes i could get this

thing but people survive lots of years without

it now a lot is that true of everything that

you know we shouldn't want those things just

because people got by without it right yeah no

not necessarily but i think that it yeah it's

again a helpful question to stop and ask yourself

um that interrupts our consumerist sort of mindset,

for sure. Kind of makes me hope that Natalie,

my wife, doesn't see this podcast because if

she does, then she's going to challenge me on

the number of t -shirts I have. I have a lot

of t -shirts. You can just say you won't buy

any more for two years. I think I've already

made that promise. Good. Thank you so much, folks.

This has been really helpful to talk through

what does greed look like in our world and what

are some of the ways that we can hopefully move

forward from it. Thank you for tuning in and

listening along with us. Feel free to share a

comment or share this with some other folks.

We'd love to hear from you about some of your

struggles with greed and some of the helpful

things that you have found to move forward from

it. We'll see you again next week.