I'm 27 years old and I still don't understand money.
I'm currently taking a class called Financial Peace University, designed to help people prioritize their spending, get rid of debt, and live more generously. It's a fascinating class, and I'm making some positive changes in my habits, like eating out less frequently and cutting up my credit card.
Christian doctrine seems to be a bit schizophrenic on how stable and/or significant a Christian's finances ought to be.
This well-covered ground of faith-centered finance talk has been up in my face a lot of late. The sermons I've heard over the last few weeks have been about wise decision-making, some specifically with respect to finances.
One of the (many) books I'm reading, Living More With Less, talks a great deal about how Christians ought to live in a way that is essentially near the poverty line because such a lifestyle shows greater respect for the way much of the world lives. One contributor quotes Gandhi's saying, "He who has more than he needs is a thief."
How is this idea to be reconciled with the idea that God wants us to be financially secure so that we might bless others?
It seems as if these two lifestyles fit snugly within the framework of (Western) Christianity. It does not, however, seem as if these two lifestyles are wholly reconcilable.
And, mark me, I cannot truthfully claim to be consistent with either direction. I don't have financial peace, and I don't cultivate simplicity. I talk about such stuff all the time, but if I'm honest, I'm a closet materialist. Too often I spend my money selfishly, an act that is unconscionable no matter which direction you take.
I've known godly people in both camps and in neither. What are your thoughts on this?
3 comments:
Money is a concept I have no idea of how to begin to tackle.
I like John Wesley's quote, “When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into my heart.”
But I save for retirement (I have a retirement account, in addition to dh's). I wonder if that's putting my trust in God or if it's trying to take matters into my own hands. I just don't know.
Btw, Dave Ramsey spoke at the church we went to last week. It was interesting.
Here's another blog post that's relevant - http://walkslowlylivewildly.com/2008/01/30/excess/
I think that the tension between living with less and learning to use what is available to bless others is exactly where God wants us to be. We cannot escape the culture we live in, thus the power of Jesus' words, to be in the world yet not of it. I confess I have told God many times, "If I just had more I would love to give it away". Maybe He is waiting for me to do better in giving away from the little I have, before choosing to provide more. It is an issue of the heart. I only know that when I do give, sacrificially give, there is great joy in doing so.
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