It's All About The Benjamins

I have been reading a book called “Your Money”. Actually I just started today, and it has been good for me. The premise of the first chapter is that money is, at its essence, a medium for time. Money is earned by time spent. Whether a doctor, who delays the payment of his time until after his education, or a garbage man who can receive the benefit of his time with little other time invested, money is a medium for time. So if we take this a step further, since time is all we have in our life, money is really an exchangeable currency for the commodity of time. When we make a purchase, we are actually exchanging life for life.

Taking this principle to heart, we need to think about our finances in a new light, especially as disciples of Christ. Stealing, whether it be cheating on our taxes or getting involved in get rich quick schemes, is in essence robbing someone of their life. When we mishandle our own finances we are really wasting our life, which is the only commodity of any value to the Lord. I rarely discuss financial topics on my blog, but I was moved by this thought, in light of my current financial situation.

This week we were hit with a bit of a shocker. I picked up a copy of turbo tax and brought it home anxiously, hoping to file immediately and receive a return which would be used for our outstanding dental bill. To my shock I was hit with 2400 dollar debt, and various other underpayment penalties. It is life changing when you find yourself in debt. I couldn’t understand it. We filled out all of our tax paperwork properly, but we still didn’t have enough deducted. I always felt that I had a nose for financial wisdom. Outside of car debts I have never been in debt in my life, which is a huge blessing. Truth is that I now can relate to those who tell me what debt feels like. It feels like a huge weight on your shoulders, an unrelenting pressure.

So we are taking the responsible adult steps toward financial freedom. I had to pick up an extra day at my second job, we are on an entertainment-free budget, and we have an appointment with a CPA to see what options we have. I am just trying to process what God is doing here. Maybe its nothing – we just didn’t pay our taxes. But I have to believe that even though our ignorance led us into this problem, God is doing something. At the very least he is building character in us.

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Lord, I ask you to make me better at managing my money. I have always felt I was good at it, but I know you have even more to teach me about it. I understand that at its essence it is my life in paper form. Build character in me between now and April 15^th. Provide for use like you promise to for those who love you. Help us to be financially prepared for the upcoming task of parenthood. I pray that you would bless us so that we can bless others. It’s all yours anyway. I want to serve you for the rest of my life in the area of my finances.