In today’s culture we end to equate success with having an overabundance of material possessions. We assume if someone has a large house, a couple of new cars, a boat and they always wear the latest fashions and take several vacations a year that they are successful and blessed by God; but most often that is simply not true.

The idea of the American dream has its roots in the late 16th century when Americans, enticed by the illusions of a better and more abundant life began moving westward in droves. As the Royal Governor of Virginia noted in 1774, the Americans “forever imagine the lands further off are still better than those upon which they are already settled”. He added that if they attained paradise, they would move on if they heard of a better place farther west.

The discovery of gold in California in 1849 brought in a hundred thousand men looking for their fortune overnight and a few did find it. Thus was born the new American Dream of instant success.

“The old American Dream was the dream of the Puritans, of Benjamin Franklin’s “Poor Richard” . . . of men and women content to accumulate their modest fortunes a little at a time, year by year by year. The new dream was the dream of instant wealth, won in a twinkling by audacity and good luck. This golden dream became a prominent part of the American psyche that is still deeply engrained in our society today.

Having an overabundance of material possessions and maintaining a luxurious, extravagant lifestyle in the public eye is no more than a status symbol. It says “Look at me; I’m rich and you’re not. “I have all of these expensive toys that you can’t possibly afford.” “I am exceedingly wealthy and happy beyond all you can imagine.”

This is just an illusion…

One of the most famous examples of a famous, wealthy person that was extremely unhappy is Kurt Cobain…

An American singer, songwriter, musician and artist founded the famous rock band “Nirvana” with Krist Novoselic in 1985. He took the band to the heights that no one can imagine. The Beatles and their famous song, “Hey Jude” were an inspiration for him towards music.

He loved classic and punk rock from his childhood. On his 14th birthday he was gifted a guitar by his uncle. With this the music within him got expression. He was in Munich, Germany on a tour on 01 March, 1994 when Cobain was diagnosed with Bronchitis and Laryngitis. The next day he took a flight to seek medical treatment in Rome. His wife joined him there on the 3rd of March, 1994. The next morning he was found unconscious due to an overdose on a combination of champagne and Rohypnol. Five days later he was discharged from the hospital. According to his wife it was his first suicide attempt.

On 8 April, 1994, an electrician discovered Cobain’s body at his Lake Washington home. He was found with a shotgun pointing at his chin and his body had a very high concentration of heroin and traces of Valium. Reports state that he must have died around 5 April, 1994. He had left a letter for his imaginary childhood friend, Buddah. He left behind thousands of mourners.

There is a debate regarding his death to be a suicide. Many people think that he was murdered by his own wife and the letter was written by her. He died with the following words.

Thank you all from the pit of my burning, nauseous stomach for your letters and concern during the past years. I’m too much of an erratic, moody baby! I don’t have the passion anymore, and so remember, it’s better to burn out than to fade away.

Peace, love, empathy,

Kurt Cobain

Frances and Courtney, I’ll be at your altar.

Please keep going Courtney, for Frances.

For her life, which will be so much happier without me.

I love you, I love you!

Wealth and fame doesn’t equal happiness….

The Parable of the Rich Fool

Luke 12:13-21

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?”

15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest.

17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain.

19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

Jesus isn’t saying that it’s wrong to have wealth or even to attain material possessions; he is saying that there is much more to life. The rich man in this parable had so much stuff that he didn’t have room to store it all so he had to build a bigger storehouse to hold it all. He was ready to retire young and live it up. He was placing all of his trust in his wealth instead of where it should have been. He had forgotten about God.

Look at all of the people that win the lottery today. We hear so many stories about people that struck it rich, hundreds of millions of dollars-overnight and within a year they are bankrupt. Why? Because they assumed that all of that money was their key to future happiness and security, but they didn’t know how to manage all of that money and it disappeared almost as quickly as it came.

Money may be important in this world, but it’s certainly not the most important thing. We can spend a lifetime in pursuit of wealth and possessions, but in the end it all goes to someone else. Our relationship to Christ is the most important thing we possess or will ever possess. Don’t waste your life pursuing temporary riches, spend it pursuing Gods best for your life and his best plan for you, because I assure you, he has a plan for your life that nothing this world has to offer can ever replace.

For what does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and looses his soul?