Choose

This time of year many of us begin to think about next year.  Right after Christmas  gifts are opened, many people start thinking about the debt they have incurred, the jobs they must go back to, and what the future holds for the following year.

For the first two or three months of the new year, people consider making changes in their finances:  saving more money, putting more away for retirement, and spending less, etc.  But financial matters take work and most people are not willing to stick with it for the long haul.  But the long haul is what it will take.  Anything worth having, and financial security is worth having, takes work.  It's not something you can set up once and never review again until the money is needed.  Just like anything else of importance, changes and updates will need to be made from time to time.  This is especially true when life events happen--expected or unexpected.    

Although anytime is a great time to make changes, the beginning of the year is a great time.  Everyone considers the new year as a fresh start for saving money, losing weight, and investing in the relationships of family and friends.  The new year is traditionally a time of turning over a new leaf. 

The fact is however, we must have a plan.  We may have the best ideas and the best intentions, but without a plan, its just self-sabotage.  The good thing about plans is that they can be tweaked, changed.  Allowing for some change removes the frustration that can sometimes set in, when our plans are not going, well, as planned.  How much money would we like to save over the next 12 months?  Be realistic.  We would all like to save much more than we probably actually can, but we must start somewhere.  When planning for saving, we must look at our overall budget: income, bills, emergencies, etc.  Regardless, I guarantee that if you stick with your plan, by this time next year, you will be pleasantly surprised, and indeed a little proud of yourself. 

When planning, remember to include those who will be involved in your venture.  If you are married, that means your spouse.  If you have children that means they should be involved in saving as well.  Children are never too young to understand the value of money.  In fact, if they are not taught the value of money when they are very young, they are being set up for when they are accosted by credit card offers on their college campus, or just whimsical spending.  They are being set up for financial failure.

Speaking of financial failure, although I do not suggest you run out and spend like crazy because you can eventually recover from losing everything to bankruptcy, job loss, etc.,  it is not the end of the world.  But it does take time to recover, in some cases a very long time.  It is best to do things right the first time.  Do not be afraid to sit down with a financial counselor.  A third party always has an objective viewpoint that you and your family may not be able to see. 

This may not be obvious to everyone, so I will say it.  Saving money means you will not be able to buy everything you want, at least not right away.  If your plan is to save $50 per paycheck, that means $50 that cannot go towards that new pair of shoes, that nice bag, or that sudden road trip.  Stick to your plan no matter what, because something will always come up and you will find that you have saved nothing by this time next year. 

Finally, like most things of importance in life, you cannot tell everyone what you are doing, just do it!  Some friends and family members cannot handle change.  If they see you changing for the better, they may mean well, but be on the look out for sabotage.  The bottom line is this: many of you are believers who know that God watches over you, but He wants you to use common sense.  He wants us to treat our finances with care.  Opposition will come in the guise of emergencies and sabotage, but stick with it, and if you do have a true emergency, you will have the money to handle the situation.  Just remember to replenish the account.

I hope you all have a wonderfully blessed, safe, and happy new year.  Below is one of my favorite passages of scripture.  I hope it gives you the same peace it does me.   

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
 The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”’ Numbers 6:24-26.


                                                                                                                                       finance

Where the heart is

'...He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’ Acts 13:22.

This verse has been a source of comfort to me ever since I figured out what it really meant.  You see, for a long time I could not understand how God could call David a man after His own heart when David had done so many bad things and made so many wrong decisions.  God never changed His mind about what he said in the verse above.  After all, David committed adultery, murder, and lust.  He even looked the other way when one of his sons raped his own sister.  To say that he was the patriarch of a very dysfunctional family is to put it lightly. 

What I figured out about David was that he admitted his sins and short comings to God, and asked forgiveness whenever he did wrong. 

'Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your loving kindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
⁴ Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight— ...' Psalm 51:1-4 

 

David's heart was in the right place because he admitted when he was wrong and asked God to forgive him.  He was just as human as we are today.  He made mistakes, made bad decisions; he went left when he should have gone right.  But at the end of the day, He knew that having a right relationship with God was what mattered most.

 

When we mess up, make a mistake, or make a bad decision, the first step to fixing things is to ask God to forgive us.  Once we do that, we are on the way to keeping our heart in the right place. 

 

Beware, when we start down the path of keeping our heart in the right place, we will be misunderstood by many, just like David was.  But as we read the Psalms we see that David did not allow naysayers to deter him.  Whenever he found himself in trouble with family issues or problems with enemies, he called out to God.  Call on God and he will take care of everything.  Just make sure your heart is in the right place.