Day 7: Be Content

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

As I read the scripture above, so many instances come to my mind of times I have not been content with what I have.  We are always told, that it is okay to want something better, to want something more but according to Hebrews 13:5, that is not so.  If you are reading this, raise your hand if you have ever had a fight with your husband about money or issues related to money.  Whoa!  My hand just shot up and I know yours did too.  Who are we kidding when we walk around in this world and not notice the neighbors "blinged" out car, those beautiful new boots in the store window, or that rockin' new cell phone that has all those cool apps?  Oh, don't get me wrong, I notice them and sometimes I long for them.  I long for things and sometimes (maybe on payday) I just go right out and buy myself something I've been eying for a long time, because you know, I deserve it.  Then, from that moment on I feel guilty, maybe my kids needed new shoes or my husband needs new pants for work or oops, I need to pay a bill.  Ever happen to you?

Naked I came from my mothers womb, and naked I will depart.  The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.  Job 1:21

Head:  Sometimes I can not believe how much money and material things consume our daily life and our thoughts.  What is even more disturbing is that when it comes to money we have arguments between ourselves and the one person on this earth we are supposed to be helping!  One of our most precious gifts that we can give to our husbands, is to help them.  God is clear that we are not to worry about money or material things.  Why?  Cause he's got your back!  I'll prove it.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4: 6-7

 Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ...  Matthew 6: 25 - 34

 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:19

You do realize, I could go on and on and on with the scriptures instructing us not to worry and to cast away our wants and worries for the things that are not of God? 


Heart:  I know it makes us feel good to have something new, to get our nails done, or highlights in our hair and I am by no means telling you not to do these things that you enjoy.  It's cool, as long as you don't fight about money with your husband.  If you are worried during the month about how you are going to pay a bill or are going to fight about money spent, eliminate the source of the problem.  On the flip side, there are times when we can not help but feel overwhelmed about financial worries because sometimes, our co-pays are just too high, our kids are constantly with ear infections, are husbands are diagnosed with sleep apnea, our car blows out a tire, the refrigerator stops running, the air conditioner stops cooling, there's smoke coming from the microwave, etc.  The list of the unexpected could go on and on and I currently have a personal list that I feel like I add to daily, weekly and monthly.    It makes us feel helpless, it makes us resent our situations, it may even make us resent our husbands.  Let's go back and remember what God says about times like these in the scriptures above.

 Hands:     God's got your back, so get off your husbands.  You are meant to work together, to solve problems together and to communicate with kind words.   You are to pray and share your faith with each other and to lift one another in prayer.  If you husband can't or isn't doing it for you, there is NOT one reason you can't do it for him.   Just imagine that I am your friend and that I'm going to stand in front of you and shake you and say "God's got this!  Stop worrying!"  Look for ways that you can be more helpful with managing money or mentally mark off that list of "things" you've been wanting.  When it's your time to have them, God will provide them without causing stress in your marriage.