There’s a metaphor about Bricks and Money that changed my life. Have you heard it??

I first did from Dave Ramsey; so if that turns you off, then go ahead and click back to Facebook or Youtube or something else that provides distraction… Please 🙂

Here’s the jist: “Money is like a brick. It has neither an inherent good or bad moral value. It is merely an object that you can use to create something with. So you can choose to throw it through a window and create destruction, or you can choose to use it to build a hospital. The brick doesn’t care what you do with it.”

As I heard this for the first time, it clicked with me, it relaxed me, and felt natural, so I believe that to be a universal truth, to me. And why was that weird?

Well probably because most of my adult life, I had thought quite the opposite!

Have you ever believed that Rich = Bad and Normal Good Folks (not Rich) that I grew up around = Good?

Truth is, that is CRAP.

People are what they are. Their money isn’t any part of their goodness or badness. It is no measure whatsoever. There can be good poor people, good rich people, and bad rich people, and yes, bad poor people.

Somehow I’ve gotten the feeling lately, that in the national consciousness and heard it said in person, that having money is a bad thing.

FREAKING RIDICULOUS.

(Obviously, this is no new fight between the haves and the have-nots. But what is the reason, I choose to type these things out today?? Because, once again, I gotta share what’s on my mind, I hope it at least makes someone out there think, maybe agree, maybe disagree, but whatever, at least the conversation has more nutrition than most of the junk we’re getting fed.)

As Dave points out: “First Timothy 6:10 does not say, “Money is the root of all evil.” What is does say is, “The love of money is the root of all evil.”

Okay, so back to the bricks:

If you can use bricks to create Useful, Helpful, Difference-Making, Life-Altering Positive Changes in someone else’s life… Like Hospitals, Medicine, Food for the Starving, Benefits for our Soldiers, and yes Churches too…

Then why do we think the only Good People out there are the ones with very few bricks?

Seems to me, if some of these Good People went and used their talents and hard work to create a big ol’ pile of bricks they could do a lot more Good Things for Other People than those who don’t have bricks.

And here is where I am gutted and convicting myself, right now, this very moment.

As aforementioned on WfG, I am in one of the leanest, driest, brickless-ness times of my adult life today. This entrepreneurial journey has monetarily been a slow suck on my savings. It’s returned little so far. My ability to give bricks to those in need has gone from several hundred per month a couple years ago, to just a few bricks per month today.

So. What does that say about my ability to help others?

Well AHA! One more facet to this whole conundrum!

Being RICH and helpful to others can include more than just our stack of bricks! We can be rich in LOTS of areas of life! I have recently made a concerted effort to spread and share the richness of my non-brick-abilities.

I have traits that are helpful to people, and businesses and organizations. And I have said Yes, in many ways, lately, to donate these skills. My willingness to help others, strong technological experience combined with a creative mind, flexible schedule and ever more urgent need to connect with the community around me, have built for me a foundation that can’t be bought with bricks.

I am rich without them, it seems 🙂

NOW, God is the one who can see my future. God knows whether this adventure of quitting a “good job” to pursue a dream; even a waaay too foggy and poorly-planned out dream, will someday allow me to fuse the personal growth and emotional education that this last year-and-a-half has taught me; with a big ol’ pile of bricks to manage for Him.

A man, working in his calling, serving God and his people, in a successful enterprise that produces lots of MONEY, can do much more to Help the World, than one man whining about how another Rich Guy, shouldn’t have so many bricks.

And that is my weird-for-good opinion.

Got some of your own after reading this? I would love to hear yours!

(In fact, I just found out last week, that my High I / High D personality type is actually energized and fueled by the feedback of people. So please, people; Feed Me! 🙂 )

I hope one day, I can look back at this moment in time and see that these testing times, were just preparation and conditioning for the thrilling, challenging and rewarding experiences to come.

Thank you God for the 18 months and 10ish days of this fantastic ride. I’ve asked for an adventure, and am still praying that with your help, I’ll remain determined to persevere.

Sincerely,

Aaron Nichols

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