You, who have been striving after riches, power, fame, and sexual prowess. You, who are striving to increase them. You, who place your hope in maintaining them. You, who fear to lose them. You, who find your delight in them. You, whose thoughts are continually upon them. You, whose conversation is always about them. Remember, they are unstable and cannot offer you the security and lasting pleasure you seek. Never forget, the Lord often allows his enemies to have the greatest portion of them. Keep in mind that his greatest servants rarely had any of the world’s goods, and they had everything in our Savior. 

I had nearly destroyed myself. I could feel the stress coursing through my body, and I knew the source. My love for the pleasures of this world was straining my soul. I had been seeking my meaning in them, and their uncertain nature made everything I was standing upon unstable, which had caused me to collapse in fear. Though I did not know it at the time, those ties to the world needed to be severed, or I was going to break.

It was then that I saw a man walking toward me. He was a smallish man with a stern face that made me question his intentions, but as he drew near, I saw kindness in his eyes that provided me with some relief. He looked at me, and he immediately noticed my distress. The windows of my soul were open to him, and he could see the treasure of my heart was the world’s admiration. He saw that earthly pleasures had my rapt attention and would not let me go.

He immediately showed me a picture of a man arrayed in full splendor. Never had I seen such an image. The portrait reached deep into my soul. My lust grabbed hold and refused to let go because I wanted to be that man. Then something happened. I saw the man of splendor was disillusioned. He had everything I desired, but he was unsatisfied. He cried, “Vanities of vanities. All is vanity.”

How could this be? The man in the picture had everything I knew would make me happy, and he was still miserable. I felt myself take in a deep breath. Something that had been putting pressure on my chest broke free, and I felt my lungs begin to relax. With that, the small man was gone.

As I lay there pondering what had happened, I saw a man of great evil approach me, and in his hands, he had all the treasures of the world. He, too, had everything that I desired and had been investing my life and soul to attain, but he was hideous. Like the portrait of Dorian Gray, the evil of his heart manifested in his appearance. As I looked upon the monster in front of me, a searing thought shot across my mind. “If the Lord of heaven and earth often allows the greatest portion of the world’s treasure to be held by the vilest of men, his avowed enemies, then they must not be the greatest treasures man can possess.” If earthly riches were part of God’s greatest gifts, the wicked would have no part in them. As he was walking away, I noticed the tension running up and down the back of my neck start to relax, and the years of chronic pain in my head began to fade.

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