Fool's Gold
This short story has always convicted me.
An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied, "Only a little while." The American then asked why he didn't stay out longer and catch more fish. The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs. The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life." The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and, with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles, and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise."
The Mexican fisherman asked, "But how long will this all take?"
To which the American replied, "15 to 20 years."
"But what then?" asked the Mexican.
The American laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions!"
"Millions — then what?"
The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."
I think there is a devastating trap that many of us fall into. We trade happiness for the thing we think will bring us happiness. We trade now for the future. We become consumed with obtaining the thing we think we need instead of understanding what that thing is actually supposed to bring us.
Fool's gold is the perception of value. Ironically, real gold can do the same thing. I try to keep this in mind as I am raising my kids. I want to work hard and earn the fact that they look up to me. Somewhere between having a career that is noteworthy and being present with them is the balance I strive to find.
Like the fisherman's wisdom shows, I believe we can often have the result of what we want without the cost of what we think it takes to achieve it.
For example, I often find myself spending a lot of money and time trying to create meaningful moments for my kids, when in reality they just want me to be intentional and present.
Instead of buying new and expensive toys, we have had more fun building forts out of boxes. One day we just played with an empty gallon jug of tea. We played a version of hockey, soccer, and basketball in the house and they had a blast.
Another personal example: I used to have a boat that was expensive to maintain, thinking it would be the key to getting my family out fishing together. But I have gotten the same experience by setting up a canopy on the side of a lake and fishing with them that way.
I think the key is to detach from obsessing over the thing you think you need and instead look at the result you actually want that thing to bring. Maybe it is genuine fun, quality time, deeper relationships, more rest, freedom, or more time.
Once we understand what we are actually trying to achieve, we can better plan how to get there. Here are a few comparisons of fool's gold and real gold … the perception of value versus real value.
Fool's Gold (fake value) | Real Gold (real value) |
|---|---|
Wealth — more money | Economic freedom — understanding finances and budgeting correctly |
Power and influence — wanting the adoration of others | To be respected — having character worthy of influence |
Sex | Intimacy and openness with a spouse or partner |
The new truck, big house, gold chains | Understanding that possessions are just things that bring no intrinsic value |
Being famous | Having real and strong relationships with people you can call on at any time |
Complacency — not pushing yourself | Growing and pushing yourself |
Comfort — living in your comfort zone | Being comfortable stepping outside your comfort zone |
Being served | Serving |
If you have been in the Christian faith for a while, you may have noticed that most of these "fool's gold" concepts sound a lot like idols. You would be right, and that is exactly what we will get into in the biblical perspective.
A Biblical Perspective
Imagine a well-meaning parent buys his son a new PlayStation 5 in hopes of bringing him joy and having something to enjoy together. The son is ecstatic, the dad and son play together that night, and they have a blast. After a while, the son begins playing online with his friends and exploring games his dad is not familiar with. He stops playing catch with his dad, stops eating with the family, stops going places with them, and only wants to play the PS5. Any time the dad asks him to stop, the son gets angry, frustrated, and resentful.
In this situation, the gift that was supposed to bring joy and deepen the relationship between father and son becomes an idol the son wants more than the relationship itself.
This is how idols are created. When we start worshipping or valuing the gifts more than the giver, we create idols. We also create problems when we misuse and misvalue the gift.
Most things we would consider harmful in the world are not inherently bad. Money, sex, alcohol, social hierarchies, comfort, rest, success, hard work, and food are not bad in nature. But when we twist their purpose, or love and pursue them more than the God who gives them to us with clear purpose and design, they become idols — and idols become problems. From gluttony to sex trafficking. From those who love their kids more than God to greedy CEOs who do awful things for profit. From choosing happiness over purpose to choosing power over servanthood.
The Bible is very clear about idols. In fact, the Bible mentions the prohibition against idols and false gods well over 200 times. It is a central theme throughout both the Old and New Testaments. These warnings appear in two primary forms: no other gods, which is the absolute rejection of worshiping any deity other than God, and no idols or graven images, which is the command forbidding the creation of or bowing down to physical images or objects as representations of the divine. Some of the most prominent references include the First and Second Commandments in Exodus 20:3-5 and Deuteronomy 5:7-9, the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4, and Paul's instruction in 1 Corinthians 10:14 to "flee from idolatry."
This can typically be seen in two ways: a selfish and controlling God, or a loving God who wants to protect us from ourselves and our own ambitions.
If you have ever loved someone through a substance addiction, you learn to hate the substance. Someone who develops an opioid addiction will put that substance above everything else. They will steal from you, lie to you, and do anything for that next hit. Imagine a son or daughter with loving parents who warned them about the dangers of drugs. The child, in their rebellion, chooses their own wisdom and begins using. The addiction takes hold. Shame sets in. Everything it can touch begins to deteriorate. The child starts believing they need the high above all else, going to the drug for what they think they need instead of going to the parents who love them.
The reality is that idols can be far more subtle and less obvious than opioid addiction, yet just as destructive.
A father who idolizes career success can be just as absent as one chasing sex, drugs, and rock and roll. "Good" people who never step outside their comfort zone to advance the Kingdom do as little for it as those who never claimed faith at all. Parents who idolize family over God can be just as spiritually stunted, filling every weekend with sports, rehearsals, and vacations while their children's faith goes completely undeveloped.
Once again, most things are not inherently evil. Successful careers, sex, music, comfort, rest, sports, vacations, and rehearsals are all good things when placed in the correct order in our lives.
A lot of people say to put God first and everything else will fall into place. I agree, but instead of a list, a better picture might be to imagine God as the paper you write the list on. In everything you do, He is the foundation so there is never a separation between the thing and God.
So what are the practical steps to protecting ourselves from idols, the thing humanity is infamously known for falling into? Let's go to Scripture, since our feelings and thoughts can deceive us so easily.
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." — Colossians 3:23-24
This indicates that no matter what we do, it can be directed toward God and glorify him in the process. Coaching your kid's team can glorify God if that is your intent. But if you are solely trying to win the super silver all-region elite all-star secondary bracket championship to prove how great a coach you are or how talented your kid is, you may be missing the mark. If you are climbing the career ladder or starting a business, ask yourself: am I working for the Lord, or for human masters i.e money, power, the adoration of others?
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." — 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
This is the small, atomic habit that aligns our will with God's will. In all things, are you rejoicing? Are you prayerfully aligning your actions and decisions with his will? Are you thankful for every meal, every family member, every sunrise? When you thank God for the gift, the gift cannot be elevated above the giver.
"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.'" — Matthew 22:37-38
Your time, money, and focus will follow what you love. If you love golf, you will buy clubs, spend time on the course and the range, watch instructional videos, follow the PGA Tour, and then buy more expensive clubs convinced they will finally make you better. Spoilers, they wont. Also, you’ll never be as good as you want to be. Jesus tells us here to love with our heart — an emotional, passionate pursuit — with our mind, which encompasses our thoughts, goals, and ambitions, and with our soul, which is the essence of our being and a divine, interconnected reliance on him. When you truly love God the way this verse describes, there is simply no room left for idols.
The world will promise everything and deliver nothing. It will tell you to buy this, achieve that, do this, and you will finally make it. This will fill the void you know is there. This will give you joy, hope, and peace.
But just like fool's gold, idols will only give you the illusion of those things. Real joy, real peace, and real hope are found solely in Jesus. Peace that transcends all understanding. Hope in eternal things that outlast everything the world offers. True joy that no circumstance can take, because nothing can separate you from the God of all creation.
For a deeper dive into this topic, I recommend "Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters" by Timothy Keller.
Until next time, Cam
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