GOLD FEVER EVERYWHERE
I lived in the little town of Winchester, Idaho, population about 350, and found a surprise one day. Down at the meat market I discovered people standing six deep at the cash register. I suspected a bit of gold fever happening. You see, the meat market sold lottery tickets and the jackpot just jumped over 100 million.
Floyd, the owner, told me folks had been lined up like that since he opened that morning. “People act kind of crazy with a tempting prize like that,” he reported.
Gold Strike Craziness
The prospect of big money does make folks do some strange things. In the Old West you always had to deal with gold fever, that is, the mania for seeking gold.
The California gold rush peaked by the late 1850s when word of a huge silver strike in Washoe, modern day Nevada, filtered down over the mountain. So, not waiting for the snow season to pass and mountain trails to clear, discouraged ‘49ers, curious latecomers, and even successful merchants took a journey over the Sierra Nevadas.
Most too poor to ride and horses being scarce, they hiked over the summit, often only a few feet behind a man ahead of him on the trail. Carrying all possessions in a backpack, as well as pick and pan under their arm, they set off to make a fortune. A few months later, most hiked back over the Sierras, threadbare and broke.
All Consuming Passion
Gold will do that to a man. He’ll leave his family and sail to places like Nome, Alaska to land on a frozen beach. Or he’ll sell his store in Seattle and hike over Chilkoot Pass in the winter of 1897, only to go broke on the Yukon.
I think Jesus knew something about this fever when He said …
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)
The message is clear. The inordinate desire to get more wealth can enslave a body, soul, and mind until we can’t think straight or pay attention to anything else. Once we’re so possessed, we loose the capacity to serve God. The consummate longing for material wealth has a way of doing that, whether it’s gold fever addictions in the 19th century or fascinations like lottery fever in our day.
Circa 1995
Gold Coin Stacks Image from Quote Inspector via www.unsplash.com
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“Gold Fever” audio podcast by award-winning western author Stephen Bly. Sponsored by BlyBooks.com Legacy Series.
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