Though not one of Abraham’s ten tests, the requirement to purchase a plot of land to bury his wife must have been challenging.
Hashem had told Avraham he would be given this land, and now he had to purchase even a place to bury his dear wife at an exorbitant price. Yet Avraham didn’t flinch. Instead, he paid the full asking price. How did Avraham handle this with equanimity?
First, Avraham knew that everything he had came from Hashem. Yes, he had to pay for the land, but hadn’t Hashem given him the money for just such a purpose?
Second, Avraham understood the value of Me’aras HaMachpela, that it was much more than simply a piece of land. He knew Adam and Chava were buried there, and he knew it would become a place for his descendants to pray for millennia.
Much as when Yaakov viewed working seven years for the hand of Rachel to be like mere days, understanding the eternal value of things helps us spend on them what we should.
The money given to poor people or to support Torah will provide infinitely more in return to the giver, so one can use his money wisely, and understand that spiritual investments will pay eternal dividends.
And if it costs a little bit more to do good things? It’s totally worth it.
