What Do You Really Need?
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.
Psalm 24:1
…For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:21.
… my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19.
The famous economist John Kenneth Galbraith has pointed out two important laws of economics: The difference between not having enough and having enough is so enormous that it can only be appreciated by those who have personally been in both situations. The difference between having enough and having absurdly more than enough is so trifling; it can only be appreciated by those who have experienced both.
What kind of financial struggles do most American couples face? What do they want from their money? Well, of course, we want money for survival. Most of us would get uneasy if we had no income, no food, no place to live, no clothes to wear. But, most of us are not really struggling with the issue of day-to-day survival, are we? We know where we’re going to spend the night tonight. We know what we hope for in the way of income next week. We ate some food today, and we anticipate eating food tomorrow. Yet, many people in the world have as their chief financial concern – survival. We need to remember this. Our affluence has shaded, even warped, our thinking in a very unhealthy way. We forget that the first thing we need financially is just plain old food, clothing and shelter.
So, what kind of financial struggles are most of us facing? What else do we think we need? After survival needs are met, all else varies from individual to individual. All of these post survival priorities fit into four basic categories: security, freedom, status/self-image/identity, and pleasure/appetites.
Your priorities in these four basic areas will affect every financial decision you make. You may risk security to pursue pleasure. You may give up some freedom in order to gain greater security. You may compromise both freedom and security in order to gain something in which the chief pleasure is the sense of status it brings. These preferences will be brought into play as you make financial decisions. If my mate places a different priority on these four areas, we will repeatedly be in conflict over finances. If she wants pleasure and I want security, I’ll want to save money, and she’ll want to go out and make a memory.
I’ll say, “We can’t afford to go out.”
“What do you mean we can’t afford it? I know we have the money.”
“But honey, that money is for our future.”
He wants security; she wants pleasure. Maybe she wants security and he wants things. Perhaps he wants things for status. Perhaps he feels he must have certain things in order to be a real man, in order to be successful. Perhaps she feels she needs certain things for status, but he knows in order to have the required income for status, he’ll have to take a job that will restrict his freedom to do what he wants to do. He doesn’t want to work in a restrictive environment. Can you see where the pressures are coming from?
There is an authority!
So, what should we do about our financial responsibilities? I do not pretend to be a great authority on the subject of finances. God is the worlds’ greatest authority. He is the Creator, and he knows our needs. If we will apply his truths revealed in scripture, it will go a long way in easing the strain many couples feel in their marriage. This is important because the strains we feel in the area of finances spill over into other areas. Often, the reason a lot of other irritations seem to loom so large is because couples are not following God’s principles in the area of finances.
What do you do to deal with these conflicts? First, God wants us to have a very different view of finances from the basic American mindset. God has given us some fundamental truths directly opposed to the worlds’ mindset.