The Paradox of Prosperity

For many years, financial teacher and author Ron Blue has talked about something he calls the Paradox of Prosperity. Ron says that when he and his wife Judy were newlyweds, they lived in a 225 square foot trailer on campus at Indiana University.

He jokes that you could cook dinner and do the ironing without moving. They didn’t have much, but life was simple. As the years went on, they had five children, 13 grandchildren, cars, college funds and retirement plans.

Life became a lot more complicated as they acquired more and discovered the Paradox of Prosperity. Ron says he found out that “more” equals more choices, which equals more confusion. When he and Judy lived in the trailer, they didn’t have to make a lot of decisions.

“I think it becomes a problem when you pursue prosperity for its own sake, in the mistaken belief that more is always better, that more will make you happier, that more will solve all of your problems. It becomes a problem when we look to our bank accounts and not to God as our Provider.”