What would you do if you were rich? You know…if you had more money than you needed to sustain yourself and your family for more than a lifetime. There is a certain responsibility that comes with wealth. I’m convinced that’s why a great majority of us do not have it. Too many of us would be irresponsible with it. And yet it’s fun to think about what we would do if we never had to worry about mundane bills or paying the mortgage.

The thought came to my mind as I helped my wife at a farmer’s market. If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time you know that she recently started her own business. We were at the farmer’s market to sell the items she has worked so hard to created and produce. I was watching all the people there who came to sell various and sundry items. They all do what they do for various reasons. For some it’s a hobby. Others do it as a second job. And still others are present to chase after their only source of income.

So what would I do if I were rich? The first thing I would do is give a proper portion back to the Lord. I’d love to support the churches I’ve had the privilege to serve. Then I would see to it that my wife and I, and our kids and their families, were taken care of by making the proper investments. And then I’d like to give a good portion of it away.

If you’ve ever taken Financial Peace University you know that Dave Ramsey encourages people to get out of debt. One of the reasons is so that people have the money left over to make a positive impact on the world by giving a portion away. I agree with that philosophy.

Which brings me back to the farmer’s market. If I had more than enough money to spare, I would go around to random farmer’s markets and purchase the entire inventory of every vendor in the place. Those people are so creative. They work so hard. These vendors scrimp and scratch and create and craft to bring things before the public that they hope will sell. They have a creative, entrepreneurial spirit. Slow days at the market can really hurt their home life. But one thing you find in abundance at most farmer’s markets is hope.

I’d like to reward that hope by — just once — purchasing everything they have to sell. I’d like to see where that takes them. What next steps would they take with their newfound success? I would like to think that it would spur on further success.

Since I’m not (yet?) “rich” enough to do that, I do my best to help as I am able. I like to tip waiters and waitresses at least 20%. If there’s a tip jar on a counter I’m sure to put something into it. I’ll stop to buy lemonade from a kid with a lemonade stand. And when we participate in farmer’s markets I try to patronize as many vendors as I can.

Would you be willing to do the same?