"Money: There's nothing in the world so demoralizing as money."
- Sophocles
I've been reading the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. It was made into that show, The Legend of the Seeker... it's a good story. Anyways. One of the characters was trying to explain to another character the reason for gold coins--money. The man didn't understand why one would trade food, clothing, or weapons for pieces of useless, soft metal. He lived in a small community where everyone made what they needed form the land and traded amongst themselves. The rest of the world around them used money. No matter how much explaining or rationalizing was done, the man still thought the idea ludicrous. I found myself wishing we could go back to a time where the only things we ever needed could be dug up out of the ground or carved from wood or rock.
I hate money.
I'm looking for a job. It's hard for me because I'm not extremely career minded. Sure, I'd love to land a job in a church somewhere, working with the worship music or the choir, and stay there for twenty years (maybe). But those kind of jobs don't just jump up in your face and offer themselves to you. So thus one must look for a different kind of job, a "real" job, with paychecks and bosses. Something which I've always hated. It hasn't been working out so well. The hours never seem to work for me at all, or the pay is extremely low for the time commitment. If I was a single guy on my own, heck, I could work any job. But I'm not. I'm married. I'm a girl, not that athletic even. So the idea of a paper route starting at 2am in the morning and paying me under a grand a month, doesn't seem to fly.
The money coming in covers everything down to the last letter. Yay. God is good. But how does one save anything? How does one pay off loans? If ones loans aren't paid off, how does one buy a house? How does one start a family? How does one get out of living from paycheck to paycheck without MORE FREAKING MONEY?
And then there are people out there (Kim Kardashian) who spend 2.5 billion dollars on a pair of earrings for her wedding, of which the marriage only lasts for 70 or so days. Then comes a multi-million dollar divorce. WELL WHOOPIE FOR YOU, KIM. You can do whatever the heck you want. The rest of us scrape by and worry about the one thing in our lives that we never seem to have enough of. Did you know that just ONE of those earrings is an equivalent of a thousand people's lifetime income?
God is great. God is good. There had never been a time where my husband and I have felt totally screwed or in the hole for money or anything that we need. Amen to that. But that doesn't change the fact that life is hard and God just doesn't hand you everything you WANT on a silver platter. And if he does come by with a silver platter, it's on his schedule, not ours. And sometimes waiting around can be discouraging.
So what insight do I have for you? What words of wisdom am I eloquently typing for your utter enjoyment and educational benefit?
Nothing. no remedy. No get rich quick scheme. Nothing to fix the problems we all seem to have all the time. ---Debts--Taxes--Bills--Loans---Children---Mortgage--Rent---
But there is one thing I like to remember. We are still here. I've got chicken in the freezer for dinner tonight. My husband made me a cake because, yes, today is my birthday. Our apartment is clean and warm. The lights are on. And why do we have ALL THIS in the midst of paycheck-to-paycheck living?
Because I've got a friend in Jesus.
Does this mean you'll never worry? No. It just means that when you find yourself worrying, because you will, you'll remember you don't have to.
Does that mean your financial problems will go away? Maybe, maybe not. But they're not your problem, as long as you don't cling to them like they are. Give it up. Give it to someone smarter and more powerful than you.
Does this mean your life will get easier?
I guess that depends on you.
A Life of God-Worship
19-21"Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. 22-23"Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!24"You can't worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you'll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can't worship God and Money both.
25-26"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.
27-29"Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
30-33"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
34"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
-- Matthew 6:19-34 (The Message)
