Then one from the crowd said to Him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ But He said to him, ‘Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?’ And He said to them, ‘Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.’ Luke 12:13-15
I recognize this title has a misspelling and a grammatical error, but I hope you will indulge me as I explain its origin and purpose. It comes from a little girl from a very affluent home who had every material resource imaginable. Both of her parents enjoyed highly successful and lucrative careers, so whatever anyone in the family wanted, the family got. This little girl ate the finest foods, wore the finest clothes, had the finest tutors preparing her to attend the finest private school, rode in the finest cars, played with the finest toys, etc. In modern colloquial terms, she was born on third base. However, despite all these resources which most people would give anything to enjoy, the little girl was dissatisfied.
One might think she was so spoiled or self-absorbed she did not appreciate how good she had it in life, but one would be wrong in that conclusion. See, her dissatisfaction had nothing to do with wanting more or not recognizing the fortunes her parents had afforded her through their intensive labors. Her dissatisfaction stemmed from a miscalculation her parents were making in trying to care for their daughter the best they knew how.
Truly there is nothing wrong with working to provide for our families and give them as secure of an existence as possible, but we must be careful not to create an even greater vulnerability in our families while attempting to provide security for them. Her parents were wildly successful in their careers, but that success came at a tremendous cost. Both worked long hours day in and day out, week in and week out, year in and year out. The little girl was being raised by the nanny and other staff in the wealthy family’s home, leaving her longing for their time and attention.
She would ask her mother to have “teatime” with her or play dress up with her, but she always had another meeting. She would ask her father to sit and read with her or go outside and watch her ride her bike, but he always had another business trip to take and had to pack to leave again. Day in and day out, this was the little girl’s reality, and with each passing day the sadness sank deeper into her heart. When she expressed her disappointment and asked why they always had to go and why they had no time for her, they would explain to her that they were only working so hard to give her all of life’s advantages. Finally, one day the sadness welled up and overflowed out of the little girl and onto her parents. Hearing yet again that they had to go seize some more advantages for her, she replied saying, “I don’t like vantages, real much. I just want to be with you.”
It was at this moment her parents realized they were missing their mark. It was not that they did not love her, but they misunderstood the assignment. Their focus on temporal security had created mental, emotional, and spiritual insecurity for their daughter. She did not need fancy things; she just needed her parents. We Christian parents sometimes miss our assignments today too. It may be in pursuit of a child’s material comfort, social status, academic achievement, athletic prowess, etc. Though we must provide for the physical needs of our families (1 Timothy 5:8), and though it is all well and good to help them succeed in a variety of pursuits, the most important role we play is training them to love and serve God. This is the true “vantage” we must strive to provide for our families.