As supported staff of Campus Crusade for Christ, we rely on monthly gifts to pay our bills. Our salary is set based on our family size and there is not a whole lot of room for raises, bonuses, or the like.
Since I know some of my monthly supporters will be reading this post, I need to make this disclaimer: This post is not intended to be an informal ask for money or a cry for sympathy. The purpose of this post, and all others, is only to get my thoughts and struggles down on paper so I can better understand myself, and hopefully better understand the perspective God wants me to have.
I sometimes get frustrated about our financial situation. Sometimes it seems like we can never get ahead! Just when we start to follow Dave Ramsey's plan (God's plan) for financial freedom, it seems like the washing machine starts to sound like its fixin' to spin into orbit, or our Suburban sounds like some sort of pre-historic animal giving birth, or I experience what it feels like to give birth myself. No, I'm not referring to Star giving birth, I'm referring to a little nuisance (about 3MM's) that I recently experience called, yep you guessed it, KIDNEY STONES!
In "Bold Purpose" by Allender and Longman, they suggest that we (I) use money as a refuge against fear and a weapon of our anger. They go on to say that we are afraid of what might happen to us, so money gives us the power and control that we need to fend off assaults.
I can definitely relate to this. One of the reasons I crave 3-6 months of savings, a constant stream of money going into my retirement account, etc... is because I am fearful of what financial struggles are ahead. Usually, there is a direct correlation between my level of security and the amount of money I have saved for emergencies.
Now, I think the Bible does instruct me to save diligently. But I think the bigger truth that God is trying to teach me through this is to TRUST HIM.
He wants my trust to always be in Him, regardless of the size of my bank account.
Might be a simple principle to grasp for some, but I'm struggling with this.
H
