Money

One of the most poignant and thought-provoking exercises that we have done all semester (at least in my opinion) was the one I just finished. The reading was a talk given my Stephen W. Gibson called "Attitude on Money." He discusses money in a way that for some reason is quite rare in the church. He specifically states that money is important and a proper view of it will lead to greater prosperity and thus the ability to bless more people.

Reflecting on that was really beneficial to me. I learned a lot about myself and what I want to accomplish in this life, both professionally and personally. Like i said in my reflections on the assignment, I wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon for a very long time. What I came to realize though was I would be trading off a significant amount of family time for med school and eventually long hours at the hospital. The money that would accompany such a lifestyle just wasn't the kind of thing I was looking for and so I changed directions.

I have learned that I have developed a view of money that I certainly didn't have a couple of years ago. I view the accumulation of wealth as a stewardship granted by God to certain men and women and each will be held accountable for the way in which they dealt with the assets found in their control. I do have an earnest desire to acquire wealth to allow me to support my family, give generously to the church, and to then search for ways to bless others with the money my Heavenly Father has granted to me. I picture that has a perfect life and in that way, believe money just might be able to buy happiness, you just have to be shopping for the right things.