A Nevispages weekly feature by Curtis Morton Sr
The way I see it, laying up treasures on earth, is really not worth it in the long haul.
Let us be real: So, you acquire tons of money and land. So, okay, I guess you may be striving to get onto the Forbes’ billionaires’ list. Okay, so having made it to the prestigious list, then what?
I have news for you: You die!
Well I newa!
Then what?
You cannot take the money and the land with you.
Then what?
You leave a whole lot of ‘caring’ family members debating and cussing over who should inherit the wealth!
A friend of mine recently drew a particular case to my attention. Apparently, she would have bought a piece of land and built a house on it and then years later, the next-door neighbour has laid claims to a portion of the land, which was surveyed by another surveyor.
So, the next-door neighbour has gone to the court of law and won the rights to a portion of the land, which already has on it, the septic tank to the house built by my friend. No matter what documents and facts were presented in the court of law, the judge ruled in favour of the next-door neighbour.
I am reminded of an incident that occurred approximately 38 years ago. I had recently returned from my studies in St. Lucia, as a Public Health Inspector and had set up residence at my newly acquired home in Hull Ground. One day, as I was clearing a portion of the land, I was in the process of cutting up some coconut branches and throwing them onto a stone wall nearby, with the intention of burning them that same day.
The stone wall, (for those of you, not from the old school), was used back then as a separating device between two separate parcels of land and so it was generally accepted that the wall was owned half and half, by the two owners on either side of it.
Well, while I was so occupied, the other owner came by and he started with one huge fuss, telling me to take the branches off of HIS WALL.
Well I newa!
I tried to reason with the man, explaining to him that the wall belonged to both of us and that I was going to burn the branches anyway. Boy, the man went on bad! Well, I remembered that Jesus did say: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers and so I reluctantly, removed the branches from the wall.
Later on in life, when I fenced the property, I even placed the poles behind the wall.
Well, the story aint end there…
It was not a week later, the gentleman suddenly went missing. He has not been found since. They claimed that he WALKED AWAY. The portion of land is still there if you get my drift.
I also remember that infamous case between my parents (both deceased) and a gentleman (also deceased). The land was owned by a Nevisian who lived in the USA, but she had placed my mother as the trustee.
My mother collected rent from at least three tenants, who were farming various portions of the land and deposited the money to the owner’s bank account, monthly. It came a time that the owner decided that she was not coming back to Nevis and decided to sell the land. She broke the news to my parents and offered them first preference for buying it, as they had served her well. My parents jumped at the idea, indicating that they were doing for their children.
The lady’s Lawyer drew up all of the necessary papers; my parents somehow got the required money, which I understand was a ‘steal of a deal,’ as land prices go and the matter was sealed or so they thought.
My mom then informed the tenants and gave them a reasonable time to secure their crops and make their exit. Two tenants took the news well and left in due course but this particular tenant was irate.
He asked how come the lady could sell all of the lands to my parents and he was farming his portion for so long!
Well, about one week later, the same surveyor who surveyed the land for my parents the previous week, came back and surveyed the land for the gentleman, the following week. Do you understand what I am saying?
We learnt later, that the gentleman had gotten in contact with the crooked lawyer in the USA and sent a large sum of money to him as per his request and BOUGHT the same land! That matter of course became a long drawn out, but intriguing court battle, which my parents eventually won.
The point I am making though, all three of them have since passed on and the land is still there! Am I making a good pint or what?
Yes, the Bible clearly states:
Matthew 6:19 :
‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.’
Matthew 6:20 :
‘But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.’
Don’t get me wrong mind, I am not saying that you cannot acquire money and land –HONESTLY, but I am saying that we should not fuss and stress ourselves too much over such, especially at the expense of our eternal salvation.
That’s the way I see it. How do you see it?