I was just pondering the trap of wealth this morning as I was considering how Solomon was still suckered in to the trappings of it, in spite of his request to God for wisdom ahead of anything else. And then contemplating that if one has a family, one has to do something about making a reasonable provision for the future and for housing etc. We have to be involved in these matters at laypeople, but how to avoid being suckered in by it all...?

I like watching a TV channel "Home and Garden" (I think)- HGTV - because I like property, homemaking and gardening etc.

And although I'm sure a lot of it is played up to make "good TV" it's amazing how many of the people on these shows seem so excessively bratty in their "need" for high-end everything and fashion etc. Yuk!

I don't know how to reconcile those things either--reasonable provision vs. excessive concern--but at a minimum I think it's something one has to be conscious of all the time, and constantly question oneself.

'"need" for high-end everything"'--This is not especially healthy, but I can't help noticing my very-affluent-to-rich neighbors in that respect. I have a perfectly adequate house, but I can't help thinking that they are probably offended by, for instance, the condition of my yard, which compared to theirs is pretty unkempt-looking. I know, the beam in my own eye, and I really don't dwell on this, but it's an unavoidable thought. It does at least serve as a spur to me to look for similar faults in myself.