Redefine Wealth: Perception vs. Reality
“I have concluded that the accumulation of wealth, even if I could achieve it, is an insufficient reason for living. When I reach the end of my days, a moment or two from now, I must look backward on something more meaningful than the pursuit of houses and land and machines and stocks and bonds. Nor is fame of any lasting benefit. I will consider my earthly existence to have been wasted unless I can recall a loving family, a consistent investment in the lives of people, and an earnest attempt to serve the God who made me.
Nothing else makes much sense.”
False Identities
In the early years of my banking career, I was often struck by the perception of wealth. I originally believed those with the nicest houses, the newest cars, and the brand-name clothes were among the wealthiest and most successful.
Once I was on the other side of the desk, I quickly discovered perception was not always reality.
The ugly truth was that many were struggling—not just to uphold an image, but to manage their finances, relationships, and self-worth. To maintain the image they thought was necessary was costing them dearly behind the scenes.
Then there was the other extreme—the person you assumed had little because they drove up to the bank in a used vehicle, wearing a dirty ball cap and worn-out Levi’s—but sometimes they were among the wealthiest in the community. Yet, they wanted people to perceive that they had less.
I’m not passing judgment—because most of us are guilty of striving for something with no eternal benefit. Many of us are also too concerned about what others think.
Let It Go
When it comes to wealth, what are you striving for? Are you playing the short or the long game? Are you more focused on what people think of you, or are you storing up your treasures in heaven? Are you serving your family, encouraging your peers, and being obedient to what God is calling you to do?
In the end, will you, as Dr. Dobson wrote, “recall a loving family, a consistent investment in the lives of people, and an earnest attempt to serve the God who made you”? Or will you be frustrated by the time you wasted trying to maintain an image that never truly mattered?
If there’s something in your life you’re holding tightly to—something you feel you have to have—I encourage you to re-evaluate. What’s the one thing causing you stress that shouldn’t be? What would it look like to let it go?
A New Identity
There are things God has asked me to release that I once thought I couldn’t live without—like my banking career, and more recently, my evening glass of wine. At the time, it felt like He was being mean or unreasonable, asking me to sacrifice elements of my identity, but now I see it differently. It wasn’t for the sake of punishment; it was for freedom. He was offering to lift the weight I was carrying, but I had to step across the line of obedience to experience it.
What is your identity tied to?
Many of us tie our identity to our career. For a decade, I was Kari the banker, and I was proud of it. The problem was that it was not only an identity, but an idol. I put it ahead of God. Although it was very challenging, it took walking away from the career I loved to realize I was more than my occupation.
You might be thinking, “I can’t walk away. I’ve invested too much.” Let me tell you something God told me—you are stronger than you think.
A friend once told me, “Obedience just comes easier for you,” but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Obedience usually takes one year of wrestling, resisting, and negotiating—until God starts closing doors. When I was reluctant to leave the bank, those doors didn’t just close…they slammed shut, and it hurt. It hurt to know the life I envisioned, and my identity as I knew it, wasn’t in sync with God’s plan. However, the pain became the push I needed to pivot.
Want to know the secret—the secret to making the better choice?
When the weight of giving up what you’ve been striving for feels too heavy to bear, ask God to take it. Ask Him to lift what you can’t carry and to give you the strength to make the better choice. As Jesus said:
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
— Matthew 11:28–30
The Reality
What is your reality and where is your heart? Are you meaningfully pursuing the things that matter in a life well lived? Is your life authentic? Or are you chasing after vanity?
True wealth isn’t found in perception, possessions, or prestige—it’s found in living the life God has called you to live and living it well.
If you do what God is calling you to do, you’ll eventually wonder why perceptions ever mattered.
Godspeed, my friend.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
