SPENDING, LOW BUY & STEWARDSHIP
My focus for 2020 is stewardship. In last week’s post (which I will link here) I made a commitment to the careful and responsible management of everything God has entrusted to my care. One of the areas I am going to give special devotion and attention to in my all inclusive stewardship journey is finance. I must admit that finance has always been something I struggled to properly manage. I am blessed to make a good income that is sufficient to allow me to live a very comfortable life, enjoying the not only the things I need in the form of basic necessities, but also things I want. That being said, I never really had an intentionally constructed plan for my earnings. I basically took my income, paid bills, saved a little for a rainy day and spent the remainder on whatever I wanted. I’m here to tell you that this is not a sustainable plan.
I have been through many iterations of responsibility in my spending over the years. As I have gotten older my spending has moved somewhat away from material possessions and more toward spending money on experiences that provide value that I can share with family and friends.
I wrote a blog post about decluttering my life. You can hear all about it here. I shared that as I began the process I was faced with all the stuff I had accumulated over the years. It was both overwhelming and revelational. All of the stuff that I decided to purchase was weighing me down. After getting rid of about 50% of my things and realizing that I still had a mountain of material possessions was shocking. I am still working on it.
As I embark upon this stewardship journey, I am approaching finance from a spiritual standpoint, and in so doing had to evaluate my heart as to the motivation of my spending. Matthew 6:19-21 spoke to me so clearly:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” -Matthew 6:19-21
I was consistently spending money on things, so what did that say about my heart? I was so convicted about my spending to the point of action. For me, It was not about not having enough money to purchase an item. It is more about assessing why I had a desire to spend money on something that does not ultimately provide any lasting impactful value to my life.
Now I know some of you are thinking, “I can purchase things and still have a heart for serving others”. You may be correct, but after careful consideration of my motivation, I am committing to an intentional turning away of purchasing material things and toward spending to providing resources to help others.
While in general, I don’t believe there is anything wrong with spending on yourself and buying things you want in moderation if you can afford it. But this commitment I’ve made to living a life within an overall context of stewardship has caused me to take a deeper, more introspective look into why I desire to purchase things in the first place. I am committed to moving away from a what can I purchase next for myself mindset towards who can I help next with what God has blessed me with.
I am doing the following to reach my goal of stewardship in the area of finance:
Being grateful for what I already have - When I take stock of what I already have in my possession I find that it is enough and it will minimize the obsession with wanting more.
I compiled a list of what I value and then looked at that list through the lens of the Gospel. I started with that Matthew scripture I referenced earlier.
I’ve committed to a “Low Buy” practice by being intentional about every purchase I consider making. No more mindless spending. I am now asking myself is the purchase I’m making adding real value to my life and is it in line with the goals I’ve set for my life? If the answer is no, I am not making the purchase.
I am making a commitment to honor the budget I’ve created for myself. Operating within a budget is a powerful tool to keep spending in perspective. Prayerfully considered line items in outside of the necessities, I believe, will prove to be useful in
I pray that sharing my commitment to being a better steward in the area of finance encourages you to do the same. If you are on a similar journey please share in the comments so that we can all grow together.