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Dollars and $ense [Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008, 1:23 pm]
A lot of people, when I tell them about my job, make some kind of comment, or at least generally assume that this is something I'm only doing until I can "find something better" or to carry me over until I decide to go somewhere or do something else. I don't think that's it though - I just want to be cautious. I don't want to run on to something else unless I KNOW that's what I'm supposed to do. That saying, "bloom where you are planted" - I mean, I guess it's not pure theology, but... I think it's a good thing to follow. I don't need to have a Bible school degree for God to use me right where I am. I've also been thinking a bit about money lately. I'm not rich, but things definitely aren't as tight as they were while I was a student. A few weeks ago I was kinda researching retirement accounts - I definitely don't have enough money to start one right now, and I still have a little debt to pay off, but someday... And then, I went to my home church, and my pastor made the comment that "I don't invest in this world - because I know where it's going." He doesn't have any financial investments at all. It's a personal choice, but some people see "retirement" savings in terms of that parable (rough paraphrase here) of the man who saved up all his riches in barns and thought "I'm all set now." And then God told him, "tonight, your very soul will be required of you." So no matter how much he had saved up for the future, it didn't matter - he was gone. And I wonder about that sometimes... I understand how easy it can be to see money as a security, even in a world as economically unstable as this one. Yet at the same time, what happens if I don't save for the future? Do I just mooch off other people for the rest of my life? Move back home? Work til I'm 80? Live off welfare? It's just interesting how our view of things is so different from the early church, where people just pooled their resources toward a common purpose. Here in America, we're so stinkin' independent that we all have to have our own special little retirement funds for our use only. I'm not saying it's a bad thing... I mean, good stewardship is a...good thing, no doubt. But does my desire to start putting away money reflect selfishness and a general lack of trust? What if I save up $50,000 and then the world ends? Think of all the good it could have done for those who really needed it. See, if I could just marry a rich guy, I wouldn't even have to worry about this stuff. Yeah, that was a joke. So, I wouldn't say it's something I'm struggling with just yet, but I feel like there are two opposing views here, and I don't know which one I should align myself with at this point. The most important thing is not to doubt that God will take care of me regardless... Miss anything?
Vitality - Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009 |