Question 2-What has God taught me from a lack of money?
Money...the love of which is the root of all evil, right?
This one is hard, Chris. I am not rich by any means. We usually live paycheck to paycheck. But I always have for what I need. Having grown up rather poor, money may not have the same value for me as it should. I think of myself as well off because I try to give money away. When I see someone in need, I want to be able to buy groceries. I can't do big stuff, but I would like to.
My husband's take on money is a bit different. He puts up with me asking to do stuff and buying food for the food bank, but having money to live comfortably is more his perspective.
Being a teenaged mom, things definitely were hard. I lived on handouts from charity and family. I disliked it so much I went to school to become a nurse so I would never have to rely on a dumb boy again for money. Now, I am paid pretty well as a nurse but I am also married to a dumb boy who provides for us as well.
Charity, altho it feels good for those of us who give, is a huge lump to swallow for the recipient. For that reason, I try to give anonymously but when I have to do it personally, I tell them my story and ask that they just return the favor to someone else in need when they are in a position to give. That seems to lessen the sting.
Of course, part of that sting is humility. Well, it can either be humility or humiliation. Humility is realizing that God has you were He wants you and He provides. Humiliation is that bad taste left in your mouth from resentment and pride because you know it is because this man or this job or this eviction is holding you down.
You know, Jesus said we will always have the poor with us. Doesn't that mean that they are just as valuable? Do we get to know the poor? Do we know any poor? Not just when we drop off stuff, but do we pay attention to who they are?
Growing up reading Mother Theresa, I romanticized the poor. Today, working with other addicts, I know that the poor are no different than the middle class, and probably no different than the rich, except for their income. There are people who have faith and people who have none. There is joy and there is apathy. There are people who are content, and there are those who are focused on getting more money.
Ok, all this is to say that God teaches me to trust that He will provide because He has. He teaches me to sort out my needs and my wants because I sometimes confuse the two and more than anything I need His will to be done. He teaches me to love, Him and my brothers and sisters. He teaches me that my true joy and fulfillment can only be attained in pursuing Him.
And you........?
Comments
"Come to me those who are weak and weary and I will give you rest"..:-)
You write beautiful blogs. I am enjoying them and will try to fire up my brain later later today. (feel guilty that i challenged you and can't share)
:-yawnnnnnnnnnnnn
I used to hate money because i don't want to learn how to manage it. It wasn't real to me. Even now I make a decent wage and can't seem to budget it and never feel like i have enough.
I shop at Goodwill and never buy anything for myself unless i ponder it and look for at least 6 months so NOT an implusive spender it if costs more than 10 dollars or is for someone other than myself.
I think God uses money for many many lessons. I have chosen to ignore all of them and to get myself into some big financial pickles.
Someday i will choose to change this. I guess when the pain is greater than it is. This totally scares me to type this out because God is everywhere.
I have tried but my attitude is stinky and I feel like I will never learn it.
What I need is an attitude adjustment and to ask God to give me new hope that there will be a time that I will want to learn and take responsibility ( for me, for him and for my girls) who count on me.
:-p hate money Jaime..
Love you Me