Written By: Mandy Hill
I have recently had several conversations with my peers about financial pressures that she and her family are feeling at this current time.
A few of my friends have recently made new commitments to staying home with their children rather than working outside of the home; which brings with it budget adjustments and new money-wise alternatives. My husband and I made drastic changes when we committed to going to a single-income family; way more wiser, God-honouring choices than we did when we had more money. Go figure! We sometimes look back and wonder what we ever did with two incomes!
Rather than looking back and dwelling on our spending mistakes, we choose to look ahead with gratitude and thankfulness that The Lord has blessed us with the desire to be wise with what money we do have.
As I mentioned above, we have gone down to a single-income budget. My husband has taken the primary responsibility in ‘bringing home the buck’; in addition to wisely distributing that income over our expenses, savings and investments. We do work together in planning and preparing for each month, but I can’t help but notice the weight that falls on him in keeping financial provisions.
I had a brief conversation with a friend recently about the pressure our husbands truly must endure to provide. It’s a heavy burden that I do not envy; but one I am so proud my husband takes seriously.
“Honour The Lord with your money, and the first part of all your crops.” (Proverbs 3:9)
So, how can we honor The Lord with our money…..even though there may only be little of it?! I’d like to share some tidbits of information that wise friends have passed along through the years:
1) If your income at present is less today than has been previously (because of a lay off, or because you went from two incomes down to one, etc) don’t dwell on “the glory days”. The enemy desperately wants you to “miss” that extra money, and will use its absence to distract you from fully experiencing the opportunity to truly trust God with what He has given to you now.
2) If you really want to honor The Lord with your money; trust Him with it. Allow Him to wisely guide your decision-making, and seek wise counsel when you feel you are ‘stuck’.
3) Tithe regularly. I have heard so many people say things such as ‘I can’t afford to tithe’….. In my experience, you can not afford not to. Be faithful to The Lord with your blessings and He will be faithful in return.
4) Bless others; bless others sacrificially. Sometimes The Lord will prompt those of us who have a little, to bless someone else with a lot. Don’t ignore those promptings, truly trust that God has everything worked out for your good. (Jeremiah 29:11) Embrace the opportunity to be part of a wonderful blessing.
5) Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. (Philippians 4:6) Money is certainly something the enemy will use to hang us up. Be aware of this fact and commit to trusting that God has been faithful and will continue to be faithful to you.
6) Make every effort to work as a team with your spouse. For me, ‘money talk’ is one of our most dreaded (and boring) conversations; yet so very necessary. Communication with your spouse is vital when it comes to your finances.
Lord, please continue to lead and teach us to be wise with our money. Please give us insight into the burden that our husbands may feel as the primary provider for our families, and please teach us how to come alongside him and lessen the burden. For my sisters who are resistant about working together on financial matters with their husband, please reveal to them it’s importance, and draw together a team built on trust and strength. We ask all these things in Your name and give You all the glory! Amen.
{We are His Daughters} 