Mar 24 - Matthew 6:33

But seek first the kingdom of God

and his righteousness, and

all these things will be added to you

Matthew 6:33

 

Speaking of money -- our theme for these last few days -- let me tell you a story.

 

It’s about the time in my life when Mary Louise and I were the richest. (Richest ... if you were measuring wealth in terms of "discretionary income.")

 

We'd recently been married. We both had good jobs. It was the only time in our 28 years of marriage that we were both working full time. 

 

Every Friday night, we'd tap the bank machine for a hundred dollars and say, "What do you want to do?" It was usually dinner and a movie. Afterwards, we'd wander the mall, picking out things for our new house. 

 

On Saturday, we'd say again, "What do you want to do?" And we'd tap the bank machine again for another hundred dollars for usually another dinner and a little more shopping. 

 

Soon Mary Louise was pregnant. We started furnishing the nursery and picking out child care. 

 

Life was good. 

 

Until a little uneasiness started gnawing at me. 

 

One Sunday morning -- on the way to church -- I said, "Can we stop at this park and talk instead?" As we sat on a picnic bench, I said, "I don't like the idea of putting our baby in child care."

 

Millions of people choose to put their kids in child care. Millions more have to. We always assumed we would. Mary Louise had set up her whole life for this powerful, professional time. She was a veterinarian, completing her residency and already teaching at a university. Like millions of Americans, we'd set up our whole lives for work-plus-family. And suddenly, I was throwing a monkey wrench into the whole works. 

 

Mary Louise broke down crying. 

 

And not in a bad way. "Me too," she said. 

 

But then she said something that stopped us in our tracks: "How?"

 

We'd set up our whole lives based on two incomes. We had a house. We had bills. "How?"

 

After a lot of soul searching, we figured out a plan. We had six months to pull it off -- four months of pregnancy, plus two months of maternity leave. The plan was this: Save every penny. It involved no eating out. No movies. No malls. A lesser cable package. And no more candy bars whenever I stopped at the gas station. 

 

In six months, we saved $10,000!

 

Let me put that another way: Before then, we wasted $10,000 every six months. 

 

We weren't happier before. In fact, now we were much happier ... and much more purposeful. At first, I stayed home while Mary Louise finished her residency. In a few years, she stayed home while I went to seminary. (She was much better at it. Kids topped pets as her calling.)

 

Financially, we've been poorer than we might have been for 26 years. And yet ... In every other way, we've been a million times richer!

 

And the question is, "Why?"

 

It's because we were following God's calling for us. 

 

And suddenly everything -- including our spending -- was based on our true priorities. (And suddenly we had a extra $10,000 that we otherwise would have blown.)

 

Now … your calling is different. It’s not supposed to look like mine. It will be absolutely unique to you (and you two)! And you'll be rich when -- and only when -- you're living according to your true callings and priorities. Because … "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

 

Question: Don't adopt my priorities. Don't feel guilty if you can't (or don’t want to) do it the way me ... or your mom ... or your neighbor do it. Your calling is unique to you (and you two). So listen for God. What is his calling in your life? And how must you shape your spending to fit those true priorities? 

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who accidentally

listened and heard

God's plan for a rich life

 

Note: If you're newlyweds, these are supposed to be lean years! Many of you are just out of college. Many of you are still paying off loans and just getting started. Chances are that you'll have fun no matter how much you're spending! So take advantage of that! Rather than trapping yourselves into too many bills and too much debt, spend less and save more now, so that every option is open to you when you discover your true calling. 

 

And if you ever get discouraged, ask an old gray couple what their first years were like. Enjoy their stories of life on a shoestring. And if you’re willing, learn also from their struggles of learning how to live side-by-side.)