What’s your relationship with money…?
Every so often I find myself in the third pew from the front of my local church. This happens when I believe my spirit could use a good cleansing from a week of professional and other temptations including eating that bit of cake my wife has forbidden me to touch.

It so happened yesterday’s sermon centred on the influence money has on some people’s lives. Ironic I thought as I prepared myself for yet another dose of the heavily advertised and promoted sequel WALL STREET – Money Never Sleeps after having seen the first installment many years ago. When I saw the first film in Guyana in the late 80′s I enjoyed it so much I bought the video and now the proud owner of the DVD. I was an ambitious advertising sales executive with drive and determination, at times I thought was illegal! But those were the good old days…the days when family, friends and responsibility in general were regarded as secondary to the All Mighty Buck.

The sermon was based on a passage from Timothy 6:6-10 which read, in part, ‘For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.’

Though I enjoyed the delivery and the many real life references the Bishop made to drive home the point (as if he really needed to) that the love of money is essentially immoral, I couldn’t help but feel a tad guilty about the energy and drive I’ve committed to my current business pursuits, pursuits that I believe are necessary to take care of my family.

I began to examine my motives when going after a deal; the several opportunities to be with my wife and kids, I’ve sacrificed for a deal; the risk I’ve undertaken for the sake of earning a better more rewarding life; and thought to myself…was it all worth it!!!??

Gordon Gekko, the character played so eminently by Michael Douglas is famed for saying ‘Greed is Good’ and ‘What’s worth doing is worth doing for money’, these words inspired a generation of young entrepreneurs and captains of industry in the 80′s. Is it any wonder we’re in a horrible recession today? We are basically reaping what we sowed twenty years ago.

So what is your relationship with money like? Are you in charge of your money or is your money calling the shots for you? Do you have a healthy relationship with your family or are they griping over how many hours you spend away from them grafting for that deal?? DFR