I love humor and in particular anything about being "lower middle class." Maybe because I can relate. Growing up, we laughed at the scene in George Hamilton's 1979 vampire comedy,"Love at First Bite" when a poor family mistook a bat for a black chicken and tried to boil it for dinner. Things weren't that bad, but close. (Let's just say that "tuna on toast" was a staple at our house). Words like "bankruptcy," "broke" and "debt" were common around the homestead.
It wasn't that we didn't have enough. It's that we lived beyond our means. We lived a Jay Z lifestyle on a Jack in the Box budget, and unfortunately I carried those bad financial habits into adulthood. What I know today is that you're never too young to look at money God's way...which leads me to this "conversation" that I recently had with the Big Guy upstairs...
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"Good morning, Monika."
"What do you want me to write about today?"
"Finances."
"Why do You want me to write about finances?"
"Because so many people struggle in that area. It's such a burdensome subject and I want to set people free."
"Right on. What should I say?"
"That Jesus didn't die so that you could be broke. Or to be in lack. Or want, but to have life and to have it abundantly. So many people forget this."
"God, I can already hear the roar, 'is this about the prosperity movement?'"
"No, it's not about airplanes or million dollar "cribs" or having a big, fancy car. It's about being in the fullness of Jesus. It's about being rich in the spirit. It's about being free from worry, anticipation, concern. I own the cattle on a thousand hills. I Am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the End. The whole enchilada. The entire deal. There's nothing to worry about. I will always provide a way out. Always."
"So being rich isn't about rockin' a bar of gold attached to a platinum chain?? Or driving a Lexus or wearing a pair of Seven jeans??"
"That's the last thing being rich is about. Those are all just things with no lasting value. Some people put them in place of Me."
"OK. I get that things aren't what it's all about, but how do we get on the right track financially? How then will we know what to do? Where to go?"
"Simple. Seek Me first with all of your heart, mind and soul and don't put any other "gods" before Me. Don't worship your intellect, your ability to "get things done", the wealth of your parents, the strength of your might..trust Me and Me alone. I will see you through. And you'll enjoy the ride. I promise."
"OK. So let me get this straight. All we have to do is trust You, seek You, follow You, trust You and you'll get us out of whatever mess we're in?"
"That's right. Remember when I told you to cut up your credit cards?"
"How can I forget? I hated that idea."
"Yes, but you did it and look at you now."
"That's true. I was once very in debt. In fact, You suggested that I short sale my house too, which was an excellent idea. After all, when all was said and done, I was a million dollars in debt."
"You were. And now you're not. You trusted me and you were blessed, not only with financial freedom but with your son, Joshua."
"You're so right. Thank you, God. I know that You're busy, so I appreciate Your time."
"Never too busy for you, Monika."
If you're in a place where you doubt God's ability to help with you with your finances (your cash flow, your "scrilla" if you're under 25, or your "bread" if you're over 40), say out loud, based on 1 John 5:14-15:
And this is the confidence that I have toward him, that if I ask anything according to his will he hears me. And if I know that he hears us in whatever I ask, I know that I have the requests that I have asked of him.
So what does all this have to do with the TV Guide on a four-foot stick? That's the "lower middle class" version of a remote control. I know, it's bad. I'll be here all week.
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