Subscription Lists
10 Minutes Peace
by Susan McGrath
It's tax time again and many people still haven't recovered from overspending at Christmas. We may be feeling the financial noose tighten and counting the days until that tax refund shows up. (Or counting the days until we have to write a check to the IRS!) Money can so easily become the master of our lives and it is not a compassionate ruler.
I once saw a man interviewed about money. He was driving an old truck and wearing jeans and a flannel shirt. When asked if he felt rich he answered something like, "Sure. I have four dollars in my pocket and all my bills are paid."
Some days that sounds rich to me! In fact, I believe "rich" is a state of mind and spirit. A large bank account and solid portfolio does not make us rich, only wealthy by earthly standards. We are rich when we recognize all of our non-material blessings.
I often tell my husband, "we are not poor, we're just broke." I just wish it wasn't such a perpetual thing. But most of us have been there. Some of us have actually pitched a tent.
What does it mean to be rich? The bible tells us to store up our treasures in heaven where no moth or rust can destroy.
I'm sure you've heard the joke that since God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, it would be nice if he would sell a few and pay the mortgage this month. Sometimes He does!
Not only does he provide us with material things, but with health, friendships, love and wisdom.
If we all sat down to make two lists, one for ways in which we are rich, the other for the areas where we are poor, I know that the "rich list" would be much longer.
Often when we don't have financial wealth we are blessed with an abundance of wealth in other areas. When my husband left a physically strenuous, 60-hour-a-week night job and started working four days a week for half the pay, it hurt financially, but we wouldn't trade the family time for the extra money.
God provides what we need and much of what we want.
Ecclesiastes 5:10-12 says, "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them? The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep."
Rate it:
a recovering journalist trying to encourage others and glorify God through writing;
living the small-town life with husband Tim and sons Lincoln, 12, and Sawyer, 6;
completing a few put-off writing projects while using chocolate for therapy.
Receive the newest devotional each week in your inbox by joining the "10 Minutes Peace" subscription list. Enter your email address below, click "Go!" and we will send you a confirmation email. Follow the instructions in the email to confirm your addition to this list.