Posted on 01/12/2019 7:24:59 AM PST by Kaslin
This is not a slam on Jeff Bezos, either explicitly or implicitly. This is not an attack on the rich. Or on liberals. Or on any other group of people.
All kinds of people have marital problems. Evangelical Christians commit adultery. Conservatives divorce and remarry. Poor people experience broken homes.
All this is self-evident and needs no documentation.
The sobering lesson is that, as the Beatles sang, money can’t buy us love. Or peace. Or contentment. Or a stable marriage. Or a sense of purpose. Or morality. Or freedom from inner demons.
In fact, it’s often true that the more we have, the less content we are.
To be clear, poverty is not the key to happiness. Or peace. Or contentment. Or marital stability. Far from it.
Poverty is draining and demeaning. Poverty is burdensome. Poverty, in and of itself, is anything but a blessing.
On the flip side, I don’t know anyone who thinks, “If only I were poor! Then I’d be happy and content.”
Hardly.
But I know many who think, “If only I had more money! If only I were rich! Then I’d be happy and content.”
Not so.
As Jesus warned, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15).
He also gave a warning to those who “[store] up things for themselves but [are] not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21).
The real question, then, is, are we rich toward God? Are we rich on the inside? That’s the key to contentment, joy, purpose – and a healthy marriage.
Some of the most content children I have ever met were kids aged 3-15 who lived in a children’s home in India. Some were orphans. Others came from families experiencing great hardship who were unable to care for their children.
These kids had a school uniform to wear and one additional set of clothing. They had no cell phones. No TVs. No computers.
They slept on the floor (more recently, they sleep on mattresses, several kids to each mattress), and they ate three simple meals a day.
But they were taught to love God. They were taught to pray and read the Bible. They were taught to love the poor and needy. To be compassionate. To respect their elders. To be wholesome.
They were not under pressure to dress a certain way or wear their hair a certain way or model themselves after the latest pop star.
Yet their smiles could light up the room, and along with getting the very best education offered in their entire community, they have gone on to productive careers, from pastors to medical doctors and from professors to homemakers.
The Book of Proverbs reminds us of what really matters with pithy sayings like this: Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil. Better a small serving of vegetables with love than a fattened calf with hatred” (Prov 15:16-17).
And this: “Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice” (Prov 16:8).
Who would argue with this?
There’s something else that the Bezos divorce brings to mind (and, to repeat, this is not an attack on the man; I pray for God’s best for his life).
Beauty doesn’t bring happiness. Having a trophy wife or a stud husband doesn’t bring marital bliss.
In fact, often, it’s the rich and famous who struggle the most with self-image (just talk to a famous model about the internal battles many of them face). And often, it’s those who have access to anything, who have the most gorgeous men and women at their beck and call, who have the least long-term contentment.
Here’s some more wisdom from Proverbs.
“Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife” (Prov 17:1).
Who could argue with this?
Or this: “Better the poor whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse’ (Prov 19:1).
What price can you put on integrity? Or morality?
And who could argue with this? “Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife [or, husband]” (Prov 21:9).
The point of all this is simple.
Let’s focus on our inner person more than on outward appearance.
Let’s give more attention to the quality of our relationships than to the quantity of our possessions.
Let’s put our emphasis on getting our spiritual houses in order before we pursue our earthly dreams.
Then, whether we’re rich or poor. Whether we’re famous or unknown. Whether we’re beautiful or homely. We can be blessed and content. Our marriages can be strong. Our families can be whole. And we can go to sleep at night with peace and wake up in the morning with purpose.
Is there anything more important than that?
Too many words for a very simple lesson: Don’t Cheat! Honor your marriage vows.
The impeached *Squirt dipped his wick wherever, whenever, and as many times possible. Heck, he's still dating. Hillary has no problem with it.
“I wish him luck. It’s going to be a beauty!”
LOL! Great summary, Mr. President!
I don’t know the details of this marriage (few do, really), but I know this: if you drill down far enough you’ll hit something called the ‘Women’s Movement” and women’s rebellion and independence from obedience and submission to the man “as unto the Lord.” (True marriage vows include the woman’s vow to honor and obey her husband, which is also commanded in Scripture.)
It is a worldwide pandemic.
Who needs Anti-Trust Laws?
Divorce, the screwing you get for the screwing you got!
Does amazon pay dividends to shareholders?
I ask because a friend told me long ago that amazon doesn’t turn a profit. The idea is that it retrenches and grows and makes its stock more valuable. I don’t necessarily believe that. It’s something I was once told. I simply don’t know.
But my point is this: amazon stock could plummet one day. If Bezos has stock and née-MacKenzie has liquid assets from the divorce, then she has something real and tangible from amzon’s best years while he has penny stocks. And if they are still such good friends (so they say), then who can say they _won’t_ remarry one day while each has their fun/lives their life in the meantime? Then they both have their billions from when amazon was riding high and stockholders are left with the remains of a Sears-like empire.
...Or is that far-fetched?
And that is exactly right, the word is half. Texas has it’s own rules! She was married to him at the start and she’s there to the end, she get’s half!
Amazon has never paid a dividend.
I guess Jeff can sell whatever stock he has and still have a staggeringly care-free life on a tenth what his ex-wife would have.
The much BETTER lesson is: If you buy a newspaper and use it (or allow it to be used) to start fights and sling dirt at top-level political figures, don’t be so stupid and naive not to expect they will fight you right back
Congratulations to Donald Trump for taking Bezos down in such spectacular fashion.
Unfortunately too many end up paying for the screwing their partner got, and that's the screwing they get... because of "I felt trapped" nonsense.
That deserves an Amen! Thank you.
A house divided against itself cannot stand.
Wise advice for living. That is what one gets from heeding the Proverbs.
To me, the real meaning is far more subtle. Bezos spent so much time and effort in his 30’s and 40, he didn’t have time to finish his development into mature into a grown man.
You see this the most out in Hollywierd which grabbed him because he was emotionally defenseless.
But I know many who think, “If only I had more money! If only I were rich! Then I’d be happy and content.”
Discontentment is wanting what you don’t have, and can not afford.
“Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife”
I’ll take a house full of feasting with peace and quiet.
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