I just visited an old friend of mine last weekend and we talked quite a bit about money and God. It was eye-opening for me to talk to someone who had a completely different mindset on money than I did. He has been on the opposite extreme of the American way of living extravagantly off of credit cards.
He hasn’t had a penny of debt, was very wise with his money, but had a distorted view of how much it takes to survive. He grew up in a wealthy household. And many people, including myself, would assume that concerns about money would not have existed, but we would be wrong.
They lived debt-free and had a ton in the bank, but as he told me concerns about running out of money were a very real issue. This was difficult for me to imagine having grown up with a lot less.
The balance point
I was excited to see that my friend has made a lot of progress to getting a clearer view on what it takes to live and provide for your family.
The whole weekend just made me wonder about this difficult to reach balance point. A point where we realize that money is only a tool, that God is our provider, that we have to be able to say NO to ourselves, but also have to be able to say YES.
As Solomon talked about in Ecclesiastes, there is a time for everything. There is a time to tell yourself, “no, you don’t need that,” and there is a time to give money and to spend money. What else is it good for?
There is a balanced point where we can all live. Where we rest in knowing that God is going to take care of us like the wonderful Father that He is.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Your point about money being a tool is very interesting. If only it was easy to just see it as that and not worry about how much we have all of the time. I think there is a lot of pressure in today’s society for us to buy far more than we need and by learning to be frugal and leaving within our means we can reduce our stress tremendously.
@Rachel
tell me about it! That seems to be the challenge of our times – but the good news is that we CAN get there!!
I’d love to read more of what you have to say on this. Keep it coming…
That balance point is hard to reach, but I think it comes with discipline.
For example, it’s very hard to start tithing, but once we do and do it consistently, this perspective of “money as a tool” makes more sense. It helps prioritize things and forces us get better at telling ourselves yes and no.
Great post, this is something my wife and I have been realizing lately is that money is just a tool, and it isn’t a way to happiness. We have to reach a balance of saving, spending and giving, and try to keep it in line with what God wants for our lives.
stumbled.
To imply having money is to be wise by that scripture is so off biblical foundation. Wisdom is far more than precious jewels. I dont believe it is in the heart of God to abandon good people or call them unwise because they have smaller bank accounts!!! The devil is liar. If that is the case, all the people with more money are called to sow and give to the poor out of unselfish motives. Are they walking in wisdom with that commandment! Why isn’t the financial advisers teaching that!