Baby Steps

Today many cliché quotes are floating in my mind. “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” “The journey begins with one step.” “One day at a time, sweet Jesus.” Okay so the last one is a song lyric, but you get the idea. As my mind wanders around clichés’ my heart is drawn to Isaiah 1:19, “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.” In my studies and recent experiences...this scripture is screaming at me.

I don't know about you, but I tend to lean in one direction or the other. I am either willing (because I like whatever it is) or I am obedient (cause I have to be). Tell me I am not alone here. Take for instance tithing, before my "tithish" valley, I sort of treated my tithe as a bill to be paid, not an opportunity to give. The attitude of our tithing makes a huge difference. This applies in everything in our lives.

The LOVE of Money is the Root of all Evil

There is a thin line between love and hate. (clichés a plenty today!) When it comes to money - both emotions hang out in that evil area, because the focus in on money - not on faith in God. Let me tell you, my relationship with money has pretty much sucked until recently. I chased higher salaries to the point of getting degrees I am not using and owing 5 times my salary in student debt. FIVE TIMES MY SALARY! I have also not practiced self-control. This is not just in the area of eating whatever suits my fancy, but it extends to buying things because they are on sale…even when I don’t need them. It reflects in trying to help my kids or others when frankly the money is not there. It is a result of wanting to live a life bigger than my budget. Just like you cannot pour from an empty vessel, you cannot give from an empty wallet.

We are in our forties with no retirement to speak of and our savings could barely put gas in our vehicle. We even found ourselves dealing with bankruptcy a second time to save our home and vehicle. How does this happen? How does it happen twice? We are not living extravagant lives…where did the money go? We don't by designer, well...anything. We take care of our things so they last a long time. Where does the money go? Frightening enough...a lot went to food and medical bills.

When we first began to tithe I saw changes in how our money was prioritized. Then we slipped away and had those “tithish” months where tithe was at the bottom line of our budget. When we corrected…scratch that, when I corrected that behavior things stabilized in our home. (I was handling what got paid and not paid, we were not doing things together at that time.) We are not Kingdom Building yet and that is where we want to be.

Financial Peace or Financial Pieces?

Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University has been collecting dust on my shelf for several months now. I tried to start on the right path, but Joe and I were not on the same page. We were not both paying attention to things. It has always been one or the other of us dealing with bills. Those “bill nights” around the table…there was only one body at the table. It occurred to me last night, that was in fact a part of the problem. Our expectations, goals, and desires in regards to finances have never been really discussed except to say, “We need to make more money”.

We have just come through an amazing series at church called "Prosper" that talked about Biblical prosperity and taught a great deal of how we should look at things like money, health, and even peace. It taught me a great deal, now we needed to apply it. Fortunately, the church is running a 9 week class of Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. I immediately signed Joe and I up for the class.

We have been living in financial pieces. Everything is paycheck to paycheck. A small emergency throws us off for months.

We have finally learned to say "no" to the boys. That was a huge step. A difficult step, but not as difficult as the baby steps we are taking now. We are working to find more economical choices for everything from food to entertainment. We are paying God first and starting to put money toward an emergency fund. From here, day by day will require us to lean into God to gain the wisdom and discipline we need to achieve our financial security.

Trade Offs

In November, I start a new job. It is something I am beyond excited about. It is not chasing a paycheck, in fact the pay is less. The joy is knowing this is a job GOD opened the door to for me. The first day I struggled with this idea, but every day since I have received message upon message that clearly directed me toward this position. I have peace about moving forward and joy about what the future holds. Isn't that what Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 55:12, "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace..."?

The money part would normally be scary...terrifying even. That is not who I am anymore. It is not who my husband is anymore. I have already talked to a few people about odd jobs I can pick up. God is already working things together for our good. This is a faith walk...a marathon. It's not just about money, it is about health, balance and living life according to the Word of God. (Did I mention I would actually have more time to write because the hours are better too?)

I am willing to be led by God. I am willing to do so with joy in my heart. Moreover, I know in these last few weeks I have been more obedient than ever before in my life.. The good of the land is more than money and riches. It is peace of mind, rest in God, and knowing that you are making your heavenly Father proud with each new baby step you take.

Final Thought And Praise

I frequently speak highly of my Pastors and our entire church staff. They are people after God's own heart. So many messages have imprinted on my heart and drawn me deeper into God's Word and his purpose for my life. I can turn a phrase rather well, but words can not really express all that should be said of our church leadership. So instead, I close with a quote from Stephen King, "The most important things are the hardest to say, because words diminish them.". Thank you, Centerbranch for being the tool that God uses to center me.