Wealth and Prosperity Part 2

Where is fancy bred? In the heart or in the head?

This is a long time coming and is the second part of a thought process I had been (as my husband would say) chewing on for a while now. The first part can be viewed here for those who missed it. I had intended writing the second part soon after the first, but-priorities. Hopefully I will have continuity of thought. While the first post dealt with the ‘secrets’ to success, this post will hopefully convey the practicality of finances for the ‘here and now’.

We are promised time after time after time that we will be blessed if we are children of God. If we obey Him, trust Him, work hard for Him, and be wise IN Him-we are promised not only that he will care for us as He has cared for the sparrows or the lilies in the field-but how much more? He will give us EXCEEDING riches, rooms will be FILLED with precious jewels, blessings will ABOUND, we will not ONLY not LACK but be made RICH!

But, not all of us own fancy houses and are free from financial worry. Each of us are in our own place and quite often, we are in a place that we want to get OUT of. We want to have pretty things, we want to have our own homes, we want to not have to worry about where the money will come from to buy groceries, clothes for our children, heat for our homes. These are all dreams though, and often seem far off because these concerns are the realities we face every day. So-what do we do in the meantime? What are the secrets to ‘success’ while we WAIT for the Lord to make us prosperous? I would submit that, just as there are ways to have wealth God’s way-there are also ways to deal righteously with the riches we already have.

Of course, each one of us at times, is reminded just how blessed we are. We are already quite wealthy compared to others around the world. We soon forget that having actual beds to sleep on is something many people around the world lack. It slips our mind that radio, internet, and/or TV’s are not in every single home much less, every room. We have become gluttons for food yet claim starvation. We have electricity, running water, toilets, carpets, cars (sometimes more than one), books, a variety of clothes to wear. It was not so long ago that people had to trek in the bitter cold darkness to go to the outhouse. Having one GOOD outfit-for Sunday’s and special occasions was more than enough for families even just 30 or 40 years ago yet this would make people today cringe in embarrassment. People washed their clothes by hand, hauled water for everything from baths to dishes to cooking, and didn’t have the convenience foods of today. And truly, the most precious gift of all is one that we can not even yet fathom-though we know it is there. The gift of a clean soul, the forgiveness of our countless sins, the blessing of eternal life! Yes-there is no doubt about it. When we take our eyes away from others and rid ourselves of self-pity, we will see that we are ALREADY abundantly blessed. As we continue to look at things we can do ‘in the meantime’, we must realize that this is the most important thing to remember and strive to do.
By realizing our many blessings, we are able to praise God and thank Him for His provision. Of course, the Lord WANTS to be praised and He WANTS our eyes to be opened. So, if we are to do this-we must also look at the flip side and see what NOT to do.
We must give Him the glory-but we can not do that if we think he is not worthy. By overlooking our blessings and becoming discontent, we are bringing shame to God. We do not praise Him for the things that we have-we are cursing His name with our ‘needs’ and lack thereof. It is like saying, “God, what you have given to me is not enough-I want more!” As if sending His son to die an excruciating death in both physical pain, but more than that, a pain so great the very depths of the sinless soul cries out in anguish over the separation from the Father-all for the sake of our measly unworthy little souls; as if that were not enough to please us. We have more than the richest men on earth right NOW if we have Christ. How greedy we can be! How selfish! How FOOLISH!
We fall into the very same trap when we become proud and arrogant of our meager lives and exaggerate our situations into pauperhood. Does this not happen? We make our situation pitiable, hoping to appear more pious, to win respect and the occasional ‘Wow! Look at so-and-so, they have it SO hard yet are always smiling…”, maybe even doing so in eager anticipation to be given hand outs. We are not only overlooking our blessings, we are spitting on the hands of God. We are liars and hypocrites of the worst sort. We are lying to God and about God. It is a dangerous game to be played and one that we ought not participate in.
Those are the negatives-so here is the positive and the practical. And here is where my soapbox begins (and you thought I was already on one! hehehe) While this is true for men and women alike, I am speaking mainly to wives-this is OUR job and one we should not take for granted. Our husbands go to work each day for us, and so all we have is by his hand (which was of course, given by the Lord’s hand). Whatever we have, we are blessed with and should be grateful for it. Being grateful for things is not simply a thank-you and we’re done. Being grateful for things is a constant act-one that requires respect and care. That means, practically, appearances count. If you respect and care for yourself-you will be clean. In the same way, if you respect the things you have-you will keep them in good order. If we have furniture-be grateful for it-take CARE of it. Make it last longer by keeping it clean, keep children from making a trampoline out of it. (This will, by the way, make it last longer thus saving money in having to replace it and so practically, we are becoming more wealthy by the minute! ) Keep your home swept and cleaned. Do the dishes and keep the stove cleaned. Keep laundry at bay. Keep things orderly and organized. While you may not have much money, ANYONE can use a broom-even a child. It does not matter if it was bought brand new-or bought at a yard sale…the things you have will last longer, be more beautiful, and be more appreciated if you take CARE of it.
Our appearance, both physically and within the home, reflect our attitudes to the world. If our homes are disorderly, dirty, and not welcoming we are sending a very clear message that what we have isn’t WORTH taking care of. When our families appear unkempt, we are giving the wrong impression of what Christians should look like. Christians should WANT to appear respectable and clean. After all, we are made in God’s image-we should be proud of that. D. Wilson wrote something that I liked very much-unfortunately, I can’t remember the exact quote…but VERY loosely, he said, “Men go off to work each day. Their line of work is their expertise, whether a dairy farmer or a top executive in a prestigious law firm. Women work at home and their homes and their families are their line of expertise.” This is also your job, women! We need to look nice, we must make sure our children look nice, and our husbands as well. That means lots of different things-mending worn out clothing so they appear well cared for (this too, will have the added benefit of saving money!), keeping their hair nice (most every woman I know does well at this, showing her husband and children she loves them by cutting their hair themselves (this too-saves money!), teaching them to be polite and courteous (husbands sometimes need to be taught too.) These are just to name a few. Cherishing the gifts we have been given-in our family and in our homes, is really a large job but so very important. By doing so, each day we reflect the attitude of true gratefulness. Not only to God-but to our husbands too-for working hard each day to care for us. And they need to be thanked also.

Finally, it can be hard to see the vast beauty in other peoples’ homes that have matched suites of furniture in each room, beautiful china sets, and all the finery and then come home to yours-that is brimming with mismatched furniture from yard sales and random mismatched dishes that make up your dinner table. I struggle with this just as many others do. But this is what I always remind myself. Anyone can make a home beautiful if given the money to do so-that is not impressive. You don’t need any creative flair or decorating genius outside of money. What is a far greater compliment, is to be told, “You have made such a lovely home with what you have!” or “You have done so much to the place!” And honestly, it is a much more FUN and exciting way to live. It is a challenge to make a home homey, comfortable, and welcoming with limited resources…but I do love a good challenge!

If you are constantly stepping up to the challenge of making your home more welcoming and comfortable for your husband and guests, if you are continually keeping up with what you have-keeping your home and possessions clean and well-kept, you will find that you will appreciate the many things that you have been blessed with-and becoming wealthy no longer is something that you are waiting for, but something that you are glorying in every day.

~For more on this topic, read the book My Life for Yours by Douglas Wilson. I could have written quote after quote from that book, except I am loaning it out to someone right now. It is just as well, for fear of plagiarism!  He says things so much better than me. It is an excellent book and an excellent reminder of the many opportunities we have all throughout our home and lives to be a beacon of God’s love and character. I HIGHLY recommend it.