Praying for a Bentley

“I like big stuff and I cannot lie.”-The Diplomat

Greetings folks and welcome to another edition of “The Diplomat’s Report.” If you’re like me and the rest of the country, you’re probably suffering through this recession and are worried about the hit you’re going to take as a result of Congress’ inability to do the one job we pay them to do, govern. Stay calm, breathe and try not to do anything rash like sending threatening messages to your congressman or start selling drugs because you love “The Wire” and “Breaking Bad.” None of those are good ideas. Sending disgruntled letters to your congressman stating how they’ll be in the unemployment line come next election if they don’t get their stuff together is a much better option.  

Aside from hoping and praying that Congress has an epiphany and solves our economic crisis, you’ve probably been praying for a million dollars, a new car and a new house or something very similar. This is normal. Most of us, except those in the millionaire and billionaire tax brackets, are consistently praying for something bigger and better than what we currently have. I call it the “Praying for a Bentley Syndrome.”

We wake up and pray every day that God will bless us with a Bentley in hopes that it will solve all of our problems. And don’t get stuck on the actual car being a Bentley. It could be a Maserati, Aston Martin, a Benz or a Bimmer. Actually, the prayer isn’t even about cars. The Bentley is a euphemism for material gain and a financial windfall. And again, there’s nothing wrong with hoping, expecting, praying or working towards a greater and more secure financial situation. However, there is a problem with believing that all of your problems will be solved just because there are more 0’s in your bank account; lest we not forget the hip-hop axiom spoken by Prophet Biggie Smalls, “Mo money, mo problems.” Money doesn’t eliminate your problems, it just gives you a different type of problem. When you come into money you have to hire a financial planner, possibly some security to keep the wolves at bay and a new phone number to hide from all the new found family. While you may no longer be ignoring phone calls from Sallie Mae and Visa, you’ll likely be dodging phone calls from Auntie Mae and LaVisa.

I caution you about putting all of your hopes and dreams on “Praying for a Bentley” and suggest that you put your energy and effort into appreciating the things that you have. If you’re always looking past what’s right in front of your face you’ll never be content and you miss the blessings that may be lying right in your lap. We need to appreciate the Honda before we can expect a Bentley. Most of us are taught to ride a bike with training wheels because trying to learn without them will lead to way more pain than we’d like to endure. The training wheels give us the opportunity to learn with as little chance as possible of hurting ourselves. They allow us to train and ride with a safety net before we hit the open road or the trail with a mountain bike.

The majority of instant millionaires are broke or dead within a couple of years of attaining their wealth. Becoming instantly rich is much like learning to ride a bike without training wheels. Sure there’s a chance you’ll work it out without landing face first on the pavement; however, the odds aren’t in your favor. It’s a quick fix and, most times, the quick fix isn’t the best fix; in fact, it usually isn’t a fix at all. The struggle, the bumps, the bruises, and the falls are what teach us what to do with the success at the end of the tunnel. After you’ve fallen a few times you know how to stay on the bike.

Adversity builds character. Every obstacle is an opportunity for us to realize our greatness and to be better than we were before. Because you’ve been knocked down, you’ve learned how to stay up and that falling isn’t the end of the story. There is absolutely nothing wrong with praying for a Bentley but while you’re sending up that prayer be sure to appreciate the Hyundai in the driveway. Until next time, Stay Up and Be Blessed!