If you were visited by a former version of yourself in January or February of next year, what would the experience bring? Would it bring the regret of overspending and the debt to prove it? Or would it bring the peace of knowing that you spent well, accumulated no debt, and thoroughly enjoyed the act of giving?
I’m glad you asked. Here are 3 ways I believe you can reminisce with joy of fonder times.
Five years is a long time to work on a goal. And I won't lie and tell you that it's been easy for me to stay focused on becoming debt free and living a life of Christ-centered financial wellness. Part of the reason was that I didn't know I needed to be financially well and I thought I was already Christ-centered.
This is what I learned to make it through.
How many times have you seen the other side of a prayer and were amazed at how blessed you were because of it? How many times have you thanked God later for not giving you something you really wanted? As much as I hate to admit it, I have been blessed when God doesn't answer my prayer the way I want. Find out why...
What if God were your server at your next dining out experience? What type of tip would you give Him? Would you "grade" Him based on His ability (scratch that...decision) to answer your prayers in a timely manner? Would you be more generous or less generous if your prayer "order" did not meet your expectations?
What if we managed our money the way I managed my weight? What if we chose to be random about budgeting (on again/off again) the way I was about Weight Watchers? I know with certainty that we would not have paid off nearly as much and would probably have incurred more debt.
We were able to get it all done because we lived by a budget. Month in…month out…we lived by a budget. Because we used a budget, we knew exactly what money was available and could make adjustments midstream.
I’ve been thinking about Christ-Centered Financial Wellness since 2012. I just didn’t have a name for it. All I knew was that I wanted a stronger relationship with Jesus Christ and I wanted to feel more financially “well.” The idea that they could go together was a great “aha” moment for me and that’s when the vision began to take shape. I’ve learned a lot about both since then and want to share what I’ve learned with you.
My husband Keith always says that change starts with the man (or woman) in the mirror. I tend to agree. Over the last few years, I’ve worked to grow my own Christ-Centered Financial Wellness. I had to challenge old thought patterns and make choices to embrace new ways of thinking. I had to learn to trust the Lord with our finances and the plan He had for our family. I had to do the hard stuff like make a budget and stick to it month after month…choose debt reduction over holiday visits with family…rent instead of buying a home.