Winner reflects on nightmare lottery - CNN.com
This article really caught my attention today. In our bible study we have been going through the sermon on the mount, and our shepherd, Mark, has been organizing his thoughts around the theme: 8 Habits of Truly Happy People.
This article serves as an amazing counterpoint to the words of Christ. In summary, the author describes how Jack Whittaker won an enormous lottery pot, and then watched his life disintegrate around him. It is a tale of the American Dream turning into a personal tragedy. The following quote stood out most poignantly, however, for it belies Jack Whittaker's continued enslavement to money:
"If it would bring my granddaughter back, I'd give it all back," Whittaker said of his jackpot. "But I can't get her back, so might as well keep the money, I guess."
His granddaughter, who was to be the heir of his multi-million dollar corporation, recently passed away as a result of her addiction to drugs.
One final note, Whitaker used to attend church regularly; he stopped. Was he driven away from a loving Christian community by his love for and indulgence in a sinful life? Perhaps that is partially the case. Sadly, and embarrassingly, the answer seems most directly to be the greed of the body of Christ.
Before Powerball, Whittaker and his wife went to church together. These days, he seldom does.
"It's just aggravating, you know. People come up and ask you for money all the time, tell you some kind of a sob story."
Beware the sweet root that bears the toxic bloom. 1 Timothy 6:10
No comments:
Post a Comment