What is Money?

Almost everyone, even those who aren’t big on church or religion, have heard this verse:

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

1 Timothy 6:10

Although, many times it’s shortened, so it sounds more like this:

Money is the root of all evil.

Now, there is a significant difference between the verse and how it’s paraphrased. Though, with all of the greed, corruption, and cronyism in our society, I can understand how that difference can shrink and become less significant. Watch the news for a while, and money starts to transform into a symbol for evil.

But is it? Is money a symbol of evil?

Possibly, but there are different ways of looking at it. For example:

“Take out a dollar bill and look at it,” he said. “Now pat yourself on the back because you are looking at a certificate of performance. If you did not rob or steal from anyone to obtain that dollar, if you neither defrauded anyone nor persuaded your government to seize it from a fellow citizen and give it to you, then you could only have obtained that dollar in one other way – you must have pleased someone else.” How true those words. Whether you pleased a client, a customer, or your boss, that money is testament to your having pleased another human being. Having money is not shameful; it is a certificate of good performance granted to you by your grateful fellow citizens.

Rabbi Daniel Lapin, Thou Shall Prosper

So, money’s a certificate of good and not a symbol of evil?

Here’s the problem. Money doesn’t have intentions and it doesn’t take actions. It can’t be generous or greedy. It doesn’t have a mind of it’s own, and can’t be judged innocent or guilty.

Money is a tool. It’s like a hammer. It can be used to create or destroy, but it doesn’t do either until it’s put into the hands of a human being. That person lifts it with intention and swings it into action. They are the ones to be judged.

Some people treat money in such a way that it becomes a symbol of evil. Others treat it as a certificate of good performance. In the both cases, the bills and coins stay the same. It’s the approach that matters.

So, set your approach. What is the most valuable way that you can serve your fellow man? Don’t love wealth. Love people, and allow them to reward you.