providing for my needs

I have said before I work for a large church, in an affluent area. I do not live in the area where I work, I live about 25 minutes away, and the median income is smaller where I live, as well as more blue collar.  Where I work the median income is probably 300,000 dollars, perhaps much more.  Some of our proffesional sports teams live in this area.  It is booming here.

I see excess every day in the area I work. I see people complaining of not having things. I was talking about cars to a person who is struggling with debt payments.  He did not want to drive a five year old car! There were various reasons why I just can't even respond. The first being I drive a 1995 Baretta, we put a new motor in it, it came from MO where they do not use road salt and was in excellent condition.  We have never had a car payment. It has always been just a means to get from point a to point b. I have to roll my windows down by hand! GASP!  We actually drive cars until they are dead and gone. We always get our money's worth out of them to say the least.

I am two years away from payoff on our house. We only have one outstanding credit card debt (we have medical debt as well) we purchased a much needed furnace for our house and we are trying desperatly to pay it off in a year or as fast as humanly possible.

We save for everything we want.  If we want a vacation, we save.  If we want a car, we save. If we want clothes we save. We never use credit ever for anything other than emergencies, then pay it off FAST. 

People think we are crazy. We decided we want a vaction next year. So we are already thinking of ways to make the money to go.  I am going to raise tons of heirloom tomatoes and pepper plants and sell them this coming spring at a farmers market and out of my yard which has tons of  traffic.  I am buying yard sale finds and repainting them and making them "chabby chic"  basically old looking and am taking them to consignment. We plan on doing a whole bunch of it over the winter and trying to get a booth at a flea market and sell it all in a weekend. Any leftover will go to consignment. This is the way we are going to take a vacation. We could put it on a credit card, but we choose to save for it instead.  Also when we go, we do not stay in extravigant places or eat in the most expensive places.  We are frugal by nature. People do not understand that.

Our home is small.  It is two stories and a basement. ONE BATHROOM! People cannot believe we can funtion with one bathroom. Why don't we  sell and get a bigger home?  Well let me answer that question.  We bought a house on the premise that we would be able to always make the payment, even if we lost our "good" jobs, we could each work two part time Walmart type jobs and make ends meet.  We live pretty much paycheck to paycheck, but we have never over extended ourselves. If we could not afford to pay cash, we did not NEED IT.

People think we are crazy. I like to say I live the way God intended for me to live.  He told us in the bible that He will supply all of our NEEDS, and He has!

I have needs and I have WANTS. Wants we need to work for, to earn. God gives us this ability.

So this is how I try to live.  In an affluent area, people look at me like I have two heads when they realize how "poor" we live.

But I know I am not poor at all! I am rich~ I have a roof over my head that I love, it has enough room for all my family, but it may not have an extra family room.  We have an acre of land, and if I had to, I could grow what I need on that acre to sustain us. My one bathroom works well, my bedroom gives me privacy and peace. I raised a family there, and have grandbabies who cannot wait to come to Grandmas house!

Could I get greedy and want more? Sure, some days I have to pull my brain away from the "I wish we had xyz"  Who would not want the newest most awsome washing machine? Or a new car? Or the best shoes and clothes?

It is human nature to want, but it is biblical to live knowing that God will take care of my needs. Not easy, but Christ never said it would be easy, He said we had to pick up our cross and follow him. I know that means that life will weigh you down, it will be hard, but I will be with you all along the way, and I will take care of your needs.

Thank God for that assurance~

Peace and Blessings!

LTW