Burdens, trust and the ‘economy’ of a higher power

August 19, 2026 · 0 Comments

MARK PAVILONS

We’ve been encouraged to bear one another’s burdens.
If we truly can do that, we embrace the truth and learn to trust.
Religious doctrine aside, we’re asked to love others, to be righteous, honest, genuine and at times, altruistic.
Humans are also trustworthy, but we’re quite guarded. Trust has taken a beating over the past decade and we’ve lost faith in our political leaders, large corporations, and others in our greed-based money economy.
We in the west live by the all mighty dollar – the economy of the marketplace. We measure success by wealth, but is money just a tool?
We’ve let money rule us – that’s the system we’ve built over centuries, from our ancestors sailing the oceans to modern entrepreneurs sending satellites into orbit.
What if we could substitute money for human commodities like love, compassion, aid, support and giving?
We throw around the word “love” like it was an everyday salutation. But we should really mean it, feel it and give it freely.
That’s what it’s all about.
I reconnected with a high school friend recently, during an hour-long conversation. Geoff, who was the best man at our wedding, moved to the U.S. many years ago for work and he’s been a successful entrepreneur. He admitted that he put business and self interests ahead of reaching out to friends, and so we seldom spoke or exchanged emails over the past 10 years.
But this one conversation, which he initiated after reading one of my columns on Facebook, was a much-needed spark, a flame of love if you will.
He was genuine in his motives, to help give me strength and hope in my time of need. We fed off of one another’s energy and at the end of the conversation, I was renewed, emotionally shored up.
We’re both quite intelligent and articulate so we click quite well.
The journalist in me probed and prodded and he let me into to his world, and his journey of awareness and what’s truly important in the world.
In his case, he found solace, guidance and yes, purpose, in his faith. He admitted it’s a constant journey, one that relies on the support of family, friends, even business associates.
He’s driven by Christian values and that’s reassuring, especially in the world today. We need those lessons, words of wisdom and common sense given to us in Scripture, to not only feel human, but to be part of the human equation.
He’s written a book, “The Kingdom Economy – Build a Legacy of Love in a Transactional World.” His message is simple – “Allow it open your imagination to a life – and a legacy – formed not by transactions, but by love.”
Changing our values from a monetary economy to a “Kingdom economy,” reshapes our decisions, restores our peace and transforms the way we lead, give and live.
Geoff pointed out that every economy around the globe runs on exchange – we trade something for something else. But the intent in the world economy is one of achievement, profit and control. It “rewards accumulation.”
The Kingdom economy, however, runs on relationships, not transactions.
“Love creates what pressure never can. Hope grows where fear once dictated … And purpose begins to breathe again,” Geoff writes.
Life Geoff’s message, I think we all get to a point where we asked ourselves, “is this all there is?” We also ponder the true meaning of wealth and happiness and how we measure these things. Why don’t we gauge them in terms of love, mutual respect and understanding?
It’s really about values, since success alone can’t satisfy our lives. I believe, as Geoff does, that we all have a true calling, and have much more talent that we let on. We are born with inherent skills, unique qualities that are meant to be shared.
Mine tend to reveal themselves in the written word. But my words would be meaningless if they weren’t backed by feelings, honesty, a sense of all things human. I’d be creating gibberish if I didn’t believe in every syllable that I write.
I have often wondered, and written the phrase, “there must be more than this.”
In recent years, many people have chosen to slow down and abandon the inclination to move faster and achieve more. When we do that we see more, feel more and understand the world around us. I have always appreciated this beautiful world, from the unique abilities of tiny insects to the composition of the Earth’s atmosphere. Every plant, tree and of course every human being, is a miracle. We all know we’re unique, and should be treating one another as pricess gems.
We humans, regardless of our heritage or country of residence, abide by rules, guidelines and laws. These laws set out government powers, and what behaviours are expected of us. Most tend to reflect basic values – refrain from committing crimes against our fellow men and women. We should be more intent on contributing, and not taking.
Sure, many regimes curtail human rights, to the point where people cannot act the way they feel in their hearts. They are prevented from gathering, protesting, and practising their religion of choice.
But here, our Charter of Rights and Freedoms, provides certain guarantees:
“Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms: (a) freedom of conscience and religion; (b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication; (c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and (d) freedom of association.”
With those freedoms comes responsibilities – the duty to respect others and share our beliefs and opinions. We are obligated to gather, feed off one another’s joy and energy and live in a more peaceful collective.
Our Charter is a contract – between the government and us, and between people themselves. We are bound to live in acceptance, follow our conscience and perhaps even grow and learn.
Maybe part of our journey should be to re-examine the reign of money and look to the dominion of love and personal relationships.
Who’s with us?