It’s Not Always Easy to be Content with What You Have
Hebrews 13:5 Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
Philippians 4:11-13 I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives us strength.
For most of our married life, my husband and I have been in debt. Sometimes, our debt overwhelmed us so we couldn’t see a way out. It weighed us down and kept us from truly enjoying our days, our children, our lives. It consumed us with worry.
I’m not sure our issue was so much about ‘keeping up with the Jones’, but instead we always just ‘got the wants’. That’s how we described it, anyway. If something caught our eye and we wanted it, we bought it.
We looked for happiness and fulfillment in those things rather than within ourselves.
Related Post: Trusting God with Our Finances
In 2007, we read Dave Ramsey’s The Total Money Makeover
and then attended Financial Peace University. When we heard Dave quote Proverbs 22:7, “…and the borrower is slave to the lender,” a lightbulb went on. We then began a plan. Now, to be totally upfront, we haven’t ever been “gazelle intense”, as Dave would say (only sometimes we get 3-legged gazelle momentum going), but we did begin to be aware of our money, of our weakness in wanting, and our finances began to improve.
We began to give to the church and to our charities of choice first. Regulary. And we continue each day to support and encourage each other in being content with what we have.
It’s a long road, but each day we remember to think and plan and to count our blessings instead of our possessions; we are closer to our goals financially and spiritually.
We are learning firsthand that more joy and fulfillment can be found when we’re content with what we have.
Today’s Prayer: Dear Heavenly God, Remind us each day to be content as your children and not look for happiness and fulfillment in earthly possessions. Amen.
Personal Challenge: Are you where you want to be with your financial goals? In what areas do you look for contentment in material possessions? How can you switch that focus for contentment to spiritual things instead?
Shared on Thoughtful Thursdays
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