My parents always taught me the value of a dollar. What I took from those lessons, though, was not what they'd have liked me to have taken from those lessons. Basically, I learned how to spend every penny that I made without ever overdrawing from my account. That is, I could balance my checkbook to the penny. And usually, that's all that was in my account within days of payday - 10 cents or less. I never carried a balance on my credit card, and the only debt I had was a car loan. I even joined the military to get money for school so that I'd never accrue any student loans. What I learned, though, is that a lack of substantial debt doesn't necessarily equal being "money wise."
I'd spend, spend, spend, buying things I didn't need. My husband, who was and is much wiser with money than me, had it. He was tired of me spending every penny we both made and having not much to show for it. I didn't know what to do except pray. So pray I did. I prayed for days, weeks, months. I prayed that God would take away my desire to spend and accrue material possessions. Over the years (yes, years - it didn't happen instantaneously), God has more than answered my prayers! I no longer have any desire to spend money on things I don't need; I've been cured of my desire for material wealth.
During our most recent PCS, we sold or gave away approximately 20% of our belongings...and I've honestly never been happier! The less I have, the less I have to keep track of and clean and find places for. There is a direct correlation between decreased possessions and increased joy in my life! I can truthfully say that I've never been happier than when I've owned so little.
And spending less on ourselves has allowed us to spend more on God's work. Instead of begrudgingly tithing 10%, we now joyfully tithe slightly more than that and donate an additional 5% every month to various mission and Christian organizations. (I am honestly not trying to toot my own horn; I'm trying to toot God's horn!) Amazingly, the more we give away, the more we seems to receive! The Lord blesses us so abundantly these days that the bottom line on our bank account always seems to increase - it's as though the more we give away, the more we somehow get back! Of course, we don't give money away just to be blessed; we genuinely desire to see God use and multiply our money in order to utilize these various organizations to preach the Word and draw unsaved people to Him. But I have to admit, the blessings that the Lord gives us for our obedience and willingness to give are well worth parting with our money!
We don't have fancy cell phones, we don't have a flatscreen or high-definition TV, I don't own an iPod, we don't have Tivo, we don't even own a CD player! What we do have are abundant, blessed, joyful, truly contended lives.
