November 8th

"saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.'” Matthew 20:12

like politics, we think God
should stay out of economics,
especially if God’s belief is that
the last are not forgotten,
the least are not discounted,
and the latecomers
are not handed yesterday's leftovers.
for if paychecks are not based
on hours put in,
if blessings do not depend
on the amount of sweat produced,
if grace simply opens its hands
then what is the purpose?
if there are no seats for privilege
in the boardrooms,
if there are no stock options
or golden parachutes,
if there is no basis for the argument
that those who struggle should have
simply taken a second job,
then those who have always
had more may discover
that God’s accounting system
never matches that of the world—
for God’s economy is based on
the abundance of God’s heart
not on what we deserve.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman