The Poor Man Who Has Nothing But Money

Here’s the thing. We all get caught up in this idea that the more we have, the better we are. More money, more stuff, more everything. It’s like we’re told from every angle that this is the key to happiness. But when we finally get everything we’re after, it’s kind of like standing in a room full of shiny things that don’t really matter. You ever feel that way?

I mean, think about it. If you had all the money in the world, what’s left? What would you do with it? Buy more stuff? Sure, maybe for a while it’s fun. The new car, the big house, the vacation that lasts for a week. But then what? It all fades. The excitement fades. The house still needs cleaning. The car needs gas. And at the end of the day, you’re still sitting there with your stuff—and nobody to share it with.

There’s an old saying from the Orthodox Church that hits hard when you really sit with it: “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul?” It’s one of those phrases that sticks with you, like, Yeah, I’ve heard it before, but have you ever actually thought about what it means? It’s not about the stuff we collect. It’s about what we give, what we put into the world, and what we leave behind.

I think about The Godfather for a second. You know the line—“A man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man.” It’s funny because we all love to hear that part, but how many of us really listen to it? It’s not just about business and hustle. It’s about the people around you. The ones you’re there for when it counts. All the money in the world doesn’t mean much if you’ve lost the people who matter.

And here’s the thing I’ve realized. The whole world can chase after money, cars, fancy stuff. But none of that matters if it doesn’t have meaning. If you don’t take care of the people around you, if you don’t have purpose, what’s the point of any of it? It’s like building a life on sand. Sure, it might look solid at first, but eventually, it’s going to crumble. What holds everything up, the stuff that actually lasts, is the love and the good you do for others. You can’t buy that.

The Orthodox faith teaches us that we’re not here just to take for ourselves. We’re here to give. To love. To serve. Every time you do something kind for someone else, it’s like you’re building this house in heaven. Every act of love, no matter how small, is one brick in that house. And that’s the only house that actually matters. You won’t find that in your bank account or your garage. You’ll find it in the way you live, in how you treat the people around you.

So, yeah, chase after what you want in this world. But remember, none of it lasts forever. Don’t get so caught up in the stuff that you forget what really matters: the people around you, the love you give, the purpose you live by. Because when it all boils down, the best things in life? They’re the ones you can’t buy. And they’re the ones that stick with you.