Top o’ the Mornin’ to Ya!
TLDR: Money is a tool for expressing and exchanging value, just like chickens were used as currency in colonial times. Instead of viewing money as an idol, we should see it as a resource to be managed wisely to serve us and God’s kingdom.
What?
I used to watch Little House on the Prairie every day after school. In one episode, the doctor came over to help when Mary was sick. After providing medicine and care, Mr. Ingles paid the doctor with chickens instead of cash. The doctor ended up with so many chickens that he didn’t know what to do with them all! He started giving them away and selling them to manage his chicken wealth.
Why?
Chickens were often used as currency in Colonial America because they represented value that could be exchanged. Mr. Ingles probably didn’t have much cash on hand, but he had chickens that held real value. Just like those chickens, money is simply a tool that represents value and allows us to exchange it without having to maintain livestock or other goods.
Lesson
Money is just a tool to express value, trade value, shift value, and show value. When we understand this perspective, we’re better off. Just as chickens can produce eggs, your money can make more money depending on how you invest it and manage it. I recently recorded a video on budgeting 101 because if your behavior is out of hand, your “chickens” are out of hand too, and you won’t be able to reap the rewards.
If we treat money as a tool instead of an idol or a god, we’ll have a healthier relationship with it. It’s similar to how I think of food as fuel for my body, which is the Holy Spirit’s temple.
Apply
Think of your money as chickens that need care and direction. You have to “feed” it by investing it wisely. Control it, tell it where to go, tell it what to do. Give it a budget, a plan, and a strategy so that it can serve you and God’s kingdom. When our money serves us and God’s Kingdom, the Kingdom will grow.
You Be blessed.
Chickens Are Like Money: A Tool for Expressing Value
