BLOG POST 30: You cannot serve two masters

My three and a half month old baby is sleeping as I write this blog. I want to be done with his daily bath routine and sit down to type and so I made all the noise I could to wake him up, but he ignored me and is sleeping soundly oblivious to the noise. On other days when I want to be as quiet as a mouse he's alert to even the tiniest sounds I make. Anyways, it looks like with a baby you've got to work around the little time you get here and there.

The topic I'm writing about today is a random thought I had one week back which I later researched and obtained some eye-opening lessons. I really wanted to make sure that I jotted it down so I kept the outline for this blog earlier. Today I'm completing it with the free time I got.

The Diderot effect described by James Clear in his book Atomic Habits is a very interesting concept. It revolves around how the philosopher Diderot bought a new scarlet robe with the gift money he got and then ended up buying more and more things to complement that robe. It's amusingly true that our need for things never seem to end. I remember coming home with my baby after my delivery and wanting almost everything that the YouTube influencers flaunted. I splurged money on things that my baby didn't even use. I remember splurging the most on my wedding, buying accessories and things that I would use only once and never again.

On my recent trip to Bangalore, my two hypotonic cell-like suitcases caught my attention. I wondered what was I carrying. Why did I have so much stuff? I am a little jealous of my parents and grandparents and pretty much of anyone from one or two generations before mine. They always have so little to carry. My mom's cosmetic pouch is basically a powder tin, a comb, and a kajal stick. The number of dresses she carried on her two-week trip to USA was probably five or six, undergarments even lesser. The number of pairs of footwear one or two. The same trip for my grandmom would probably have settled with just one small suitcase to contain her three saris and her one footwear which she would most certainly be wearing on the journey. The same trip for me will be celebration for the customs officer. I don't remember the last time I travelled without a huge baggage.

The baggage I carry with me has made my trips a scare. I need to plan way ahead even for short trips and still I forget something. Funnily, even if I forget the things I forget, I end up doing pretty well withought those things. Yet, I worry! I worry leaving my room open or my wardrobes open. I worry someone may steal the expensive eyeshadow palette I bought, or the costly perfumes I invested on. Worries eat up basically a major portion of our days. I don't want to worry so much. I want to stop having so many things.

Coming across Matthew 6:24, "You cannot serve two masters" changed my whole viewpoint on how I spent money. The two masters the Bible is referring to are "God" and "money." When I read this, I was confused why one could not serve God and money at the same time. After all, it is God that blesses us with money and if we use it for the right things, aren't we also serving God? I wanted to know more about this verse and so I read several articles online. I learnt three interesting concepts which was really life changing for me and now help me decide every time I need to make a choice on whether to buy or to not buy something.

1. When you buy things you actually don't need, but because you want to show off to the people around you, you are serving money and not God
2. When you neglect giving to others what God has entrusted with you in abundance and use it for your own luxury needs, you are serving money and not God
3. When you spend more time worrying about money than about the kingdom of God, you are serving money and not God

It's fascinating how money can make you its slave without your knowledge! When I read the above point by point, I tried to recollect several of the million instances I was unknowingly serving money instead of God. I still do despite realizing the ways in which we humans serve money because it has become so hard wired into our systems. Having a spiritually sound mind helps us make better choices. To have a spiritually sound mind one should ponder upon the word of God and pray to him that we don't fall to temptations.

Zacchaeus the tax collector is the biblical example of greed for wealth during the time of Jesus. When Jesus visited his home, he had a change of heart and decided to donate half of his wealth to the poor and give back all the wealth that he had earned through wrongdoings. In the same way, if Jesus rules our hearts we can make better decisions with the wealth he has bestowed upon us.

Now when I go to a store, I am able to distinguish my needs from my wants. I make sure that what I buy are things that I will use and will not become a burden for me later. I am able to let go of prized possessions with the simple realization that nothing I own on earth is mine. My true treasures are in heaven. You know God has sent you here on earth to live in the best way possible with whatever you've got. Don't you think that sharing what you have with others that don't have it would make him much happier than spending it all on yourself?

The African saying "Ubuntu" or I am because we are should be held close to our hearts. Humanity exists because there are living beings that care for other living beings. It is the very basic principle by which nature sustains. Let's serve God and never money.