Make do with little
One of the more enduring country western songs is a song called ‘The Coal Miner’s Daughter’ by Loretta Lynn. It’s about life as the daughter of a poor coal miner.
That song strikes a chord in my heart because my own life was somewhat similar. My mom worked two jobs just to put food on the table and meet our basic necessities. We had very little discretionary spending money. Life was hard – especially when I went to college and came across a lot of rich kids who had a lot of nice things and a lot of money to throw around.
As a result of our early financial hardship, I learnt to be very careful with my money. It was a precious resource and was not to be wasted. It was not to be spent on frivolous things. Most of the time, I would use it for what I really needed, and I saved the rest. Even to this day, I try to keep a tight handle on how I spend my money.
Looking back now, I can say that those childhood experiences with money were important. They were important because they taught me to not waste precious resources. But more than that, they had spiritual application, of which I knew nothing about at that time. Consider Lk 16:10-12.
Lk 16:10-12 10 "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? 12 And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?"
God has true riches (which is His character). He wants to give them to you. But He will not do so if He sees that you are not faithful with your own money. Further, if He sees that you waste other people’s money (such as your parent’s money) then He will not give you your own money.
Now some people may get money even if they don’t meet the above criteria, but such money will not have come from God. Money that comes from God has no sorrow, and no evil, attached to it.
Some people have the nasty habit of mishandling rental cars and rental equipment. Some waste electricity and water that they are not paying for. Some misuse school and college equipment that they don’t own. And the think that such behavior is okay. Little do they realize the far reaching impact those decisions will have on their own life.
So then, whether you come from a poor or a rich family, make it a point to learn how to make do with little, and learn how to use money wisely. If you are poor, don’t despise your parents for their poverty. And whether your parents are rich or poor, use their resources carefully. For God is watching, and His decision on how much money you get to control, and how much of true riches you get to inherit, will be based on the way you spend your parent’s money, and other people’s money, and your own money.
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