Tanisha H. Shaw
Better is he that is lightly esteemed, and hath a servant, than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread. - Proverbs 12: 9
Just the other day, an older gentleman said to me, "As you age, this life will start seeming more and more like a living hell. You can get all the way up to the top of the world and lose it all.."
The next morning I woke up and thought about some words of wisdom my grandmother shared with me as a teenager.. She would always say, "Reach for the stars baby, but always stay in the middle ground in life". I say this because if you ever fall down, you won't have far to go... However, if you get haughty and start looking down upon folk while you are at the top, the fall can be devastating."
As a teenager, I always found myself scratching my head sometimes when my grandmother was giving me life lesson sessions. I didn't quite understand what she was talking about until I became an adult and became responsible for my own actions. Out of all the things my grandmother taught me, this one has especially rang true in regard to the world we are living in today.
When our economy is booming, most people live way above their means and brag about things they don't own, simply to impress their peers. However, now that things are slowly changing in our economy, many of these people are deeply depressed, or on the verge of committing suicide because they were not wise financial stewards during good times.
Well, the good news is that God is merciful and gives us many chances to get back on track! If you are willing to do the work, you can regain your proper place in regard to your finances, relationships, or anything else that is out of order in your life.
The first thing you should do is pray, repent, and ask God for forgiveness for mismanaging the blessings/funds He has made ways for you to possess. Next, find out where your money is going. Are you wasting it on nonsense that you don't need?
I have come to realize that our money has an assignment that will yield rewards or disappointments, according to the heart condition of the steward. Here are a couple of things you can do to regain strength and balance back into your finances:
#1. If you haven't been tithing, start there. For me tithing is not only giving 10% of income, but a reality of the covenant I have with God. He is a good God and I humble myself and acknowledge Him in my giving. As I give, I pray over my tithe, and trust God to meet the needs of the people that my church home will serve and to protect and bless everything concerning me.
#2. Then, set up a realistic budget and see where you can cut back to save money.
#3. Start doing money saving activities with family and friends such as: watching movies together at home, having pot-luck dinners with friends, going to free concerts around your city, etc.
#4. Start taking public transportation, instead driving into work.
#5. Make a practice of using cash, instead of debit/credit to make purchases.
#6. Set up a realistic savings plan and make the money available to distribute to a savings account of your choice, on a monthly basis.
#7. Once you have a handle on that aspect of your financial stewardship, start to sow money into causes, or ministries that have been a blessing to your life. (Be sure to incorporate this principle sooner, rather than later. Giving makes the heart glad and sets you up for increase). This will be excess funds that you can give once your finances are back in order.
#8. Learn to live your life in the middle ground. Stay humble, keep your spirit and conscience pure from worldly debris, stay rooted in the Word of God, listen intently for the leading of the Holy spirit and trust God to take your life to places beyond your wildest dreams!