The Real Owner of All That We Think We Own

By Andrea

Who is the real owner of everything that we possess—from our bank balance, our home and our gadgets to our very bodies and lives? We like to think that we ourselves own all of these things, that they belong to us. But is this true in the ultimate sense?

The fact is that God, the Creator and Sustainer of all things, is the real owner of everything that exists in the universe—and that includes everything that we generally think we are the owners of. The entire universe belongs to Him.

While for conventional or worldly purposes we might be regarded as owners of the things we think belong to us, in actual fact, in the ultimate sense, it is God who is the sole and real owner of all of these and everything else that exists. Things that we think we own and consider as belonging to us have only been loaned to us by the Creator to be temporary custodians or stewards of.

It was only relatively recently that I came to learn about the fact that God is the real owner of everything that exists. But even though I now know this as a fact, I am not always consciously aware of it. Old habits sometimes die hard, and I often still behave as if the things that I have been given in custody by the Creator are mine, that they are owned by me, and that, therefore, I can use them as I please. This is reflected, for instance, in the way I use ‘my’ money sometimes. Unconsciously or consciously considering that the money in ‘my’ bank account belongs to me, that I own it, I spend it just as I want to, on things that I desire, without bothering to consult the real owner of that money—God. If I were truly continually conscious of the fact that it is God who is the real owner of all things, including the money in ‘my’ bank account, surely I would consult Him before making any purchase, because the money actually belongs to Him, not to me.

The same holds true even with my charity. There have been several occasions when I have parted with ‘my’ money for charitable purposes, being touched or moved by some or the other cause, but without bothering to consult the real owner of this money—God—about it and heeding His guidance. As a result, I think I might have squandered a not inconsiderable amount of money over the years on people and causes that I really ought not to have helped.

*

If God is the real owner of what, for conventional purposes, we might regard as ‘our’ money, ideally, we ought to consult Him for all the economic transactions we might make, including also our spending on charity, and then do as He might guide us. After all, all money is actually His, not ours, He being the real owner of it (and everything else), and so, it is but right that we seek His guidance as to what to do with it and act accordingly.