Ever feel like your life is stuck in fast-forward?
From the moment our feet hit the floor in the morning, it seems like we never let up on life’s gas pedal.
When we finally sit down to look at bills, we are exhausted and just want to pay them as quickly as possible and move on.
Even some of us avoid logging in to our bank accounts all together because it is just too painful to really see what our current balance is.
Is this how God intended for us to live?
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing that you have always done and expecting a different result.
God has made us stewards of the money He has given us (as seen in the Parable of the Talents).
If you feel discouraged, burned out, or frustrated with the way you are currently handling your money, here are some perspective changes you can make in your life.
1Choose to Be Faithful in the Little Things
You don’t need to wait until Aunt Matilda dies and leaves you her fortune before you start handling your money seriously. Decide to be faithful in the little things that you have.
It is easy to live above your means. Most Americans live that way.
Why not instead choose to be different? Decide today that you are going to be more intentional with your money and empower yourself to say no.
One of the great lessons in life is learning to be content with whatever condition you are currently in.
Small things are small things, but faithfulness with a small thing is a big thing. – Hudson Taylor
2Learn the Value of Contentment
Contentment can do so much good for your soul. In fact, if you have kids then it is absolutely essential that you teach them this virtue. The challenge is that we want to bless our kids, make them happy, and give them a good childhood. What we often forget are the great lessons that we lose along the way.
For awhile, we had an extremely basic TV cable package. We have made a choice to live frugal and in the state of contentment that God currently has us in. This was a real challenge for my two kids as they had become accustomed to watching all their favorite television programs in the evening. While initially they voted us the “Lamest Parents in the World,” a strange thing began to happen. We suddenly had more time for conversation, bike rides around the neighborhood, and sitting on the front porch swing at sunset just enjoying one another’s presence. The kids began to make up silly games for us to play and we had our fair share of freeze tag in the front yard. Your life is as rich as you want to make it. Contentment is a choice.
3Hold Loosely to Everything
In the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon mentions several times how stressful life can be for those whose life’s goal is the pursuit of wealth or riches. Is it wrong to have nice things? Certainly not. But those that are consumed with wanting more live a stress-filled life.
Solomon talks about how the poor man has peaceful sleep after spending his day laboring in the field, while the rich man tosses and turns worrying about how to hold onto all his wealth. If you can learn the value of holding loosely to what you have, the pressure will begin to roll off your shoulders. Holding loosely does not mean you live flippantly and do not take careful consideration for what you have. It means that you recognize that it is all God’s to begin with anyway.
4Be Faithful With All 100%
Most Christians have been trained to handle 10% of their money God’s way through giving a tithe, but they are clueless with what to do with the other 90%. One powerful principle to remember is that all 100% of it was given to you by God.
Some of you might be saying, “Wait a minute, I earned that money by using my knowledge, skill and ability.”
Wasn’t it God who gave you that knowledge, skill, and ability to begin with? Does not God give us the power to create wealth? There is a wonderful mental shift that can take place when you recognize that you and I are just merely managers of the wealth God gives us.
Conclusion
If you are living above your means and constantly worried or stressed about your money situation, I have one simple question for you: Why? Don’t you realize that you are choosing to live that way? There is another way.
Simplify your life by learning the value of contentment. Start being faithful in the little things. Hold loosely to what you have and give 100% of it over to God. Once you arrive at that place, you can close your eyes at night and sleep peacefully. Why not start handling money God’s way today?
What else can we do to handle God’s money better? Leave a comment!