Money money money maaahney..
I just had a little mini debate with a friend on IM about money.you know who you are.
It was funny because I could, as I usually do with this person, totally hear myself in her words.
I was talking about how I'm thinking about selling my car this weekend because I'm finally right side up on it and I really want to get the debt of it off my back. If I can sell it for what Kelly blue book says its worth, I could net enough from the sale to buy another, more mechanically sound, but older and uglier car. I'm totally about that..
But during that conversation I said, Its my money, I work hard for it and I'm not going to waste it.
She said, No its not.
I knew where she was going and I really did want to roll my eyes...Sometimes it bothers me when we as Christians do that. We stop listening to the point of the conversation to correct the semantics of what has been said.
Then we got into topic of God's money/My money and I really think that TRULY all good things come from God...I think every dime I have is from his hand...and sure everything under the sun is his, so OK technically its his money...and technically my life isnt my own...But I also really really think that the money that I have is a gift from God that I have to manage. I think he gives it to me...then I give him some back in appreciation...then its up to me to manage it in the wisest way possible.
That means having debt is stupid...Thats all over proverbs...
That means my goal in life right now is to get out from under the slavery that debt has me in..(hence why I'm going to sell the car, and why I'm fine working overtime for the extra cash to throw at my debt) when I get out from under this debt...I'm staying out from under it. FOREVER. That means no more student loans, no more credit cards, no more car payments, and no mortgages...Every dime that I earn (through the job that God provided) is going to be used, not losed. (yeah, i know it should be lost, but don't correct my semantics).
I think the "its not my money," is fine if you want to think that...But i really think its semantical...Obviously, I'm not taking it with me...so its not going to be mine forever...but while I'm here it sure can be...
Sure, God knows and can do anything, so if He wants to take it back, He sure can...In that sense, sure, its not mine..But for now, yesterday morning at 8am, he did give me some, and for now, its mine.
If giving God ownership of it helps you use it better, then great! It doesnt really help me use it better...
If Christianity really did think of all their money as Gods...I think the whole community would behave a little differently...there wouldnt be a brand new lexus in the bunch..we'd all be driving three year old mercedes because they're the only car that appreciates in value. None of us would have mortgages or credit cards, because the financing and interest rates are a waste of "God's money." We'd work harder not to bounce checks because overdraft fees are a waste of God's money...
In my opinion, thinking about it as a gift he's given to me (making it mine) or thinking it stays his is closer to semantics or perspective than it is to truth or fiction. However God has to get me to think about the money in my bank account to get me to spend it the right way is how he's going to get me to think about it.
The reality is, NO money belongs to ANYBODY. Money slips in and out of our hands daily. From one person to another. You get the numbers in and the numbers out...The deal is to get the numbers to go in more rapidly than they go out. God gives us more than enough in this world, and we all think we dont have enough. But we do. I do. I just give it to the wrong people. God gives us money to provide for ourselves and to help others. But the money meant to help others goes out the window with the finance charges and the overdraft fees to put the things we want in our laps now, instead of when we can afford it. 75% of people over the age of 65 can't write a check for 600$...Even though, over the course of their lives, God provided more than enough. Where did that money go?
I'm not doing that anymore.
I'm going to work harder, to get rid of the hole I've gotten myself into. And then I'm going to spend the money that God gives me in ways that make more sense in this world.
posted by Jiggs @ 6:25 AM
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