It’s All About the Money…Right?

The world has taught me that it really is all about the money. I mean if you want to be happy you have to have the nicest car, biggest house, and own designer clothes. You will never have enough “stuff” and because of this you will always want more. If you get a raise it’s nice at the time, but it won’t be long until that is no longer enough money for you and you want more. This is the mindset that the world gives us. I have a newsflash. NONE OF THIS IS TRUE.

Somehow, money gained extreme importance in our lives, and so many of us have let it take over our thoughts and minds. When we let money take over our thoughts, then it will control our happiness, but this should never be the case.

Hebrews 13:5

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have…”

As a blogger, it is sometimes hard for me to open up about certain things on here. It’s easy to write about workouts, recipes, or the fun things I am doing, but sometimes it’s hard to share my difficulties and struggles. But, I want y’all, the readers, to know the true me and how the Lord is working in my life. In order to do this, I have to share some of my own struggles and sin so that I can share how the Lord is helping me through it. Also, maybe someone can relate to me, and they can gain some encouragement from this.

Let’s go back to this past Monday. I went to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned like I do every six months. No big deal. I actually kind of like going because my Mom and I usually go together, after they clean my teeth the dentist tells me my teeth are perfect, and then my mom and I go have lunch. Not a bad day at all. Well, on Monday as the dental hygienist was cleaning my teeth she goes, “Oh, you have a cavity. No, two cavities.”

I was in shock as I heard this. I think I had one cavity when I was six or seven years old, and that was it. I brush and floss my teeth often and didn’t understand how that could happen. Of course I asked the dentist and hygienist what I should do so that this wouldn’t happen again, and they told me it wasn’t my fault at all. Apparently I have really deep grooves in my teeth, which make me very susceptible to cavities. They were surprised I haven’t had more in my life. As the hygienist continued to work on my teeth I kept wondering in my head how much it was going to cost to fix my cavities. I hate spending money, and this unexpected expense right at Christmas time definitely wasn’t making me feel good.

After she finished cleaning my teeth I went to the receptionist at the front desk to schedule an appointment to fill my cavities. My heart sank when I saw that the bill was going to be over $200. “Great,” I thought. “This bill couldn’t have come at a worse time. It’s a week before Christmas and  we have other things to pay for too”. I was so mad at myself for having two cavities, even though I knew there was nothing I could have done to prevent it.

I waited while my Mom got her teeth cleaned, and when she came out we went and had lunch together at Subway. I was not a very fun lunch date that day. I totally let the expensive bill consume my thoughts and upset me. My mom, being the wise woman she is, gave me some very important advice. She told me that I will never like it when stuff like this happens, and yes it is a lot of money, but it is not detrimental; the bill could have been worse. I have insurance, which of course makes it much better than it could have been. She told me to remember to be thankful that I do have the money to pay for this, and that unexpected things like this just happen, and you have to pay for them and move on. I can’t resonate on it or let it bother me because that does nothing but upset me. I knew she was right, but for a girl who loves budgets, it wasn’t easy having a big expense that was not budgeted for rise up so suddenly.

As I got in my car to drive home I began to think about what my Mom just told me and why I was letting this upset me so much. This is when I had a realization and a conviction. I am letting myself be too much in love with money, and that’s a huge problem. I think people can love money in different ways. I don’t love it in that I always want more so that I can buy more things. I am actually so cheap it’s hard for me to spend money and buy things.  I am the exact opposite. It is hard for me to spend money because, for some reason, I just want to keep any extra money we have after all of the necessities have been paid. I also don’t mind buying gifts for other people; I actually love that! But it’s when I suddenly have to pay money that I didn’t plan for that it really bothers me. But as I was driving and thinking, I realized, it’s not my money to hold onto. Everything Ryan and I have, it’s because the Lord has blessed us with it, and it’s still his.

Matthew 6:19-21

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

 

Why do I feel a need to store up money here on Earth when I know it does not matter. Yes, I think it is important to be financially smart and save money so that when unexpected expenses do come your way you can pay them, but you cannot obsess over money or let it consume your thoughts. After all, in the end, we can’t take the money with us.

1 Timothy 6:6-10

“But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing in to the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

I hadn’t got to a point where money was consuming my thoughts and where I always wanted more, but I didn’t want to get there. In the car as I drove I prayed that the Lord would forgive me for this love of money that I had and that He would help me get over it. I prayed that my thoughts wouldn’t be consumed with how much the bill cost, but instead that I would be thankful that I was able to get done to my teeth what needed to be done.There are people who desperately need dental work done, but not only can they not afford it, they have no access to any type of doctor. All of a sudden me complaining and worrying about my dental bill that I have insurance to help out with and that I can afford seems pretty ridiculous.

Matthew 6:24

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

I want to serve the Lord with my whole life, which means I don’t need to worry about money. I need to be smart with the money I have, because that is something the Lord has given me and entrusted me with, but I don’t need to ever worry about how much I have because the Lord will take care of me. It can be hard to not let money consume you when you live in a world that is so consumed by money, but I have to remember that I serve God and not money. Falling in love with money is a dangerous thing, and I know it would take me down a dangerous path. I am very content with what I have and where I am in life, and I pray that I can keep this contentment. All of the fancy, expensive things that money buys are just extra things in life that won’t make me happy. If I focus my time, energy, and thoughts on things that really matter, on things the Lord wants me to focus on, I know I will be much happier.

No questions today. I would just love to hear your thoughts and opinions.