Substance

Remember those old credit card commercials where a bunch of Vikings would show up just before some impending doom to rescue the protagonist of the commercial and then a Viking would turn to the camera and ask emphatically, “What’s in your wallet!?!” I know we’ve all seen this commercial and/or slogan hundreds of times. The defining question and sales-tag of this particular marketing campaign was very effective and potent it seems due to how long this question was the defining question for the credit card company. It IS a valid question indeed…….what IS in YOUR wallet!?!

For some reason or another, the other day while driving, this question and the old commercials popped into my head. At first, I smiled to myself thinking about all the hilarious and clever commercials that were made in order to market the thought provoking question. Then as my mind wandered around the question, I started to see that it was possibly a profoundly transcendental question. Posing the question immediately implies that not everybody’s wallet is the same. We all have very different wallets and most likely, wallets are as diverse and infinitely unique as all of us human beings that inhabit the earth. Some people’s wallets are probably very simple and empty. Others might have very disorganized and very full wallets. Others might have a moderately solid wallet that is organized, efficient, and thoughtful. However it may look, it is what is inside that truly matters as is the point of the brilliant ad campaign question.

While what is literally inside our actual physical wallets is important for us to effectively operate within a system of exchanging the value of resources by means of electronic currency, the contents of our wallets does not define us, nor measure the substance of the being carrying the wallet. As I thought about this truth, I was naturally called to apply the famous question to myself. In doing this, the “wallet” then became a metaphor for the soul/spirit/character/being. When and if the structures of society crumble and fall; or if you lose your job and spend all your savings; or you lose a loved one; or war comes to your doorstep; what then!?! What’s in your literal wallet won’t really matter all that much amidst true dire circumstances nor can it ever be a replacement for the true substance of your soul. So what’s in your TRUE wallet!?! I believe this is a question we all must ask ourselves.

What is the substance you have sought out, molded, nurtured, tempered, and imbued with spirit within yourself to create a center that can weather any storm and will endure the most difficult challenges you will face in this life? I’m not referencing some metaphysical or philosophical idea or some abstract concept to ponder. I’m calling attention to the little disciplines you do daily that nurture your soul and empower your being to strengthen you and make your mind, body, and spirit more resilient with each day. What part of your being is timeless? What part of your being is able to transcend all external conditions and circumstances of the ever changing environment in which you live? What part of your being will always remain no matter what happens to you and around you?

Knowing the answer to these questions leads to security, peace, and a confidence for your journey no matter what you do, don’t do, and in the face of whatever happens to you. Whether your center of substance is a spiritual path, a faith in God, logic and reason, a discipline, love itself, or a combination of these things, know what it is within you that you can rely upon no matter what changes around you. And once you know your center of substance, then you can feed and nurture it with daily disciplines which will fortify it and create increasingly greater amounts of resilience. A center of substance is like the mariner’s knowledge of navigating open seas by the stars and the sun. It is that foundational base that gives you the confidence that no matter what challenges may come your way and how bad things can become, you know, confidently and securely, that you will be ok. Just like that credit card in your wallet gives you the ability to be financially functional and secure anywhere in the world, the center of substance within you provides the same effect for your being.

So I will ask you one more time………what’s in YOUR wallet!?!