I've been meaning to write about this for sometime, but given the unforeseen circumstances of the past few weeks, it got put on the back burner. However, it is finally time to write about something near and dear to my heart. Money.
I think a lot about money, about budgeting, debt, and saving. It seems that most people in this world do too! I love to get a good deal, and if you’ve ever been to my house and seen my basement storage, you’ll notice that I buy when things are on sale, frequently before I need them. I used coupons liberally before it was fashionable and I buy my children’s clothes for pennies on the dollar long before they grow into them. We rarely buy anything at full price and often buy used. Having said that, my fear is not that we won’t have what we need but that we will have way beyond what we need.
How much money is too much money? How much stuff is too much stuff? A long time ago, I learned about the word “mammon,” which was described to me as the love of money and the stuff money can buy. And since then, I have feared that mammon would find its way into my life and my family. Almost every night before I go to bed, I lie in bed talking with God, and search my heart for anything that may be usurping His place. How would I feel if I lost my home and it burned to the ground? Would I blame God? Would I feel slighted? What if my husband and I both lost our jobs and had no way to pay our bills, would my attitude change? Would I be overwhelmed with anxiety? What if we only had enough food for today and no way to feed our family tomorrow? How would the lack of the security of money change who I am?
In America, we rarely ask ourselves these questions, because even if it all were to happen we have safety nets in place. Insurance, family, church, food banks, homeless shelters, even hospitals that are required to attend to serious medical needs can save me from those unforeseen circumstances. So, in whom or what does my security lie? If I strip it all away, who am I at the core?
Conversely, what if God chooses to bless me elaborately? My husband and I sometimes wonder what it would be like to win the lottery. (Though admittedly, we’d have to start playing first.) What would we do with all of that money? Pay our bills, be debt free, tithe, build our new home…many many ideas come to mind. But what if God called us to give it all away? Would we? As he blesses us in new areas, do we spend it as we please, save for the future, or are we willing to acknowledge that nothing is ours? That everything we have comes from God, and that we are merely caretakers of his possessions for a short time!
As I consider all of this, I have come to believe that it may be more of a blessing to have little than to have much. I have said before, and I’ll say it again, probably the greatest curse on earth is to have so much that you never recognize your need for God. Mammon. The god of this world has infiltrated the United States with a vengeance, and many aren’t even aware it is here.
Now that I know how dire the situation is for me, how do I impart this knowledge to my children? A few of the hazards our youth may encounter are easy to recognize. Secular music and the media are some of the vilest offenders. But what about the overabundance in America? Does your child really need a new backpack every year for school? How much food does he/she expect to be in the house and what if you don’t have food they enjoy? Are we raising children to expect they will get everything they want and to be upset when they don’t? How can a child learn the attitude of gratefulness and thankfulness when all they desire is available? And what is the difference between a want and a need? Would you dare send your child to school with a half used notebook from last year? Or do they NEED a brand new one (that they probably won’t up completely again this year)? If our children become accustomed and expect to maintain a specific level of materialism in their lives, what are we really teaching them about life and about God?
When something goes “wrong”, or rather as you wouldn’t expect it to, do you ask, “Why me?” You probably would if you felt entitled to have your way! Just because a parent may have the ability to provide all the comforts and conveniences of life to their children does not mean they should. Does our God give us everything we ask for? Certainly not! Because the world does not revolve around us, it revolves around Him. His plans are greater, His purposes are holier, and His glory is first and foremost – not ours. If mammon is not addressed in the lives of our children at a young age, why would we think that they would naturally love and serve God? Wouldn’t it be more natural to run after mammon than Christ? I’m not advocating that we deprive our children, but I am suggesting that we pay a lot more attention to the role of money and things in our lives and in our families - and that we redefine what it means to be “deprived!”
Truth be told, I disagree with my parents concerning many areas of my upbringing. However, I am eternally grateful for some of the crucial lessons my mother taught me. I was taught that I don’t get everything I ask for. I was not allowed to decide how to spend all of my OWN hard earned money, and I was expected to obey - not because I’ll get a reward but because I am a child and that’s what children do. I abhorred these lessons! Many of my peers had designer clothes, but I rarely did. I started working full time during the summers at 12 years old, and I desired to spend my money on stuff I wanted, but I was forced to save and tithe. Even though I earned that money, I was informed that it was not mine to begin with. And I can’t remember a single time when my mother bribed me to obey. In fact, the expectation was to obey, and if I didn’t, it was a swift hand to the rear. I am thankful for these lessons now, because without them, my attitude and my faith would be very different!
The very beginning of faith, lies in the belief that we are sinners, worthy of nothing, and in need of a Savior. But if we believe, or even worse, teach our children that we are good and deserve to have good things, we risk alienating them from Christ. What God created was good! And he does love us! But sin entered in and messed up the perfection of creation. Without Him, we are nothing. We need Him. Our lives are to be focused on and around Him. Everything we have is His and He decides when we’re born and when we die, what we are to keep and what we are to give away. He desires perfect obedience from us, not because He wants to hamper our joy, but because He desires for everyone to be saved – and we are to share in that goal and obey his leading. Strangely, as we let go of our love for the things of this world and fall more deeply in love with Christ, He tends to bless us beyond what we imagined. When we let go of mammon, He can trust us to distribute it as He pleases. God never wants to be second to anything in our lives. And if the love of money and materialism has a grip on your heart, life can become exceedingly difficult. God is not satisfied with His creation worshiping creation. We are only to worship Him.
No matter how much or how little we have, that love for stuff can hold a heavy grip on our hearts and our children. It is no wonder Jesus talked about this by saying, “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:24) How many of us are rich in America? All of us. Not a single person can get through life without addressing this issue. It doesn’t matter if you tithe, if you donate to good causes, if you work hard for your money, if you have a million dollars or only a dollar to your name, mammon wants your soul. “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)
