Money Matters

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all 

these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 

He's just like his mama - in one way, anyhow.

When I was young, my pockets, wallets, and purses all had holes in them. The amazing thing, though, was that only one kind of thing seemed to find its way out of them.

Money. Can you relate?

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My allowance was spent the same day I received it. Birthday money? Unless my parents had it for safekeeping (or I couldn't get anywhere to spend it), the same. I loved money – but not enough to hold onto it. Save? That was for OLD people ;)

My 11-year-old son is the same. If he has a dollar in his wallet two days after allowance day, it could be a miracle. Money is for spending.

And then there's my 8-year-old daughter. For her, money is, generally, for saving. For what? Usually, she doesn't have a clue. But more in her wallet, it seems, is better. I often have to convince her that it's all right to spend a few bucks on something she'd like (a necklace, for instance).

When we went on vacation last week (yeah – that's why there weren't very many posts here), the hubby and I gave each of them an amount of our money that they could spend – anything after that would come from their allowance. My son spent all our money, plus a bit from his allowance. My daughter spent all but $2 of ours – and saw something she wanted for about $5 – but since she didn't want to spend three dollars of her own money (which, by the way, is about a tenth of what she has saved), she passed.

 By the way, since I've grown up, I've become less like my son and more like my daughter. Not sure I've found the perfect balance yet, but I know neither of my children are where they're supposed to be. God doesn't want us to be greedy (Proverbs 15:27), but he also condemns wasting what we have and encourages saving responsibly( Proverbs 13:11). And everything we have – including (and perhaps especially) our money – is only on loan - a gift - from the Father anyway (Deuteronomy 17-18).

So seek Him first. And if you listen, all you need will be provided – whether you're naturally a spender, a saver, or somewhere in between.

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We're chatting about this here, and  at Living By Grace on Facebook. Hope you'll join the discussion!

Traveling Rough Roads With God's Strength