Money Matters

Incoming email at work today gave a report of the financial status of the company I work for. With the current economic crisis in America, with bank shares falling, the roller coaster ride of the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeting to levels lower than ever seen before, job security is a little shaky for some folks. Although my company has been affected by the latest tailspin in the US economy, we were assured by our CEO that all is well.

I am thinking much about my money attitude and also that of my family's attitude. We are personally not feeling the effects of what is going on in the nation, at least not yet. I give extra thought to gallivanting around town for no reason, but I continue to commute 50 miles round trip into Dallas for work daily, and do all the things that I normally would do. Our grocery bill is a little higher than it has been, but God has blessed us with the ability to pay the extra and still be comfortable. (as long as I don't look at the 401K)

Life has not always been that way for us. Spending was tight for many years. I worked part time and babysat children to afford shoes and clothes for my school aged boys. We went through a time where my husband worked handy man jobs to help pay the bills because his corporate position had been eliminated.

God has been the great provider. He has blessed us. I have been given the favor of marrying a man who is wise with finances. Debt has always been a bad word in our marriage and to borrow is something we strive not to do.

We were exposed to ministries like Crown Ministry nearly twenty years ago, taking those suggestions to heart and living by them to the best of our ability. We are fans of Larry Burkett and Dave Ramsey and listen closely to wise counsel. I read the book Your Money Or Your Life in 1994 (GREAT book, by the way) and learned how to ask myself these questions:

• Should I be able to buy whatever I can afford, no matter what the effect on others or the earth?

• Should I allow credit cards to lure me into excessive debt?

• When is personal consumption a matter of public concern?

• Who or what will set limits for me, if I won't do it myself?

• Does overconsumption really make me happy?

My husband and I have spent a lot of time learning about money matters. We acknowledge that everything that we have is from God. There have been many times in our lives when we had to trust that He would provide what we needed. Whenever we had extra, we knew it was a blessing from Him.

Proverbs 28:25 says,
A greedy man stirs up dissension,
but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.

As we find ourselves walking through this time of economic crisis, let us not bicker and worry but trust in the Lord.