By Didi Bacon
Do you worry about money? Is your financial situation the source of anxiety for you? It turns out that you are not alone, especially today. Writing in the Atlantic (“What You’re Really Worried About When You’re Worried About Money,” The Atlantic. 12-9-21), author and researcher Arthur C. Brooks says, “Money is one of the things Americans worry about most in the world.”
Brooks notes that one survey found that even when the US economy is thriving more than half of Americans felt anxious or insecure about money sometimes, often, or all the time. And during the COVID pandemic, another survey found that workers were almost five times more likely to worry about money than their health.
He goes on to note that many of us really don’t need to worry about money. Only 11 percent of Americans live in poverty. And yet, according to a recent survey, more than half of Millennials with a net worth greater than $1 million feared losing their wealth “a great deal” or “somewhat,” as did more than a third of similarly wealthy Baby Boomers.
Brooks concludes, “For millions of people, then, worrying about money is not a reflection of whether their basic needs are being met. In fact, this anxiety reflects deeper concerns that money can’t solve.”
Our worry about money points to deeper issues going on inside of us. Economics 101 tells us that money is simply a means of exchange. We exchange our efforts in our work for money. As Dave Ramsey likes to point out, quoting Rabbi Daniel Lapin, money is “certificates of appreciation with presidents faces on them.” With the money we earn from our work, we use it to exchange for goods and services for living. So in many ways money represents our lives. It represents the value we bring to the world. How we use money reflects what we really believe and what we value in life.
In teaching about money, Jesus said “Wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21 NIV). Money is a reflection of your heart condition. No wonder Jesus spoke about money pretty much more than anything else. No wonder the Bible talks about money in many places. Your check book speaks more about what is going on inside of you than the notes in your journal or Bible.
During the month of August, we are going to be looking for guidance on how to live right with God when it comes to money from the book of Proverbs. Proverbs is wisdom literature; wisdom means skill. The skill that comes from applying the truth of God’s Word to life in the right way, at the right time, for the right results.
The wisdom of the Proverbs tells us that God’s desire is to bless us with the wealth we need to live a life of joy (Proverbs 10:22), that the use of money is a means to learn to live by faith and trust in Him (Proverbs 28:25), that it is wise to make plans to use money to honor God (Proverbs 13:11), and that God’s purpose for giving us wealth is to invest in eternal things through generosity (Proverbs 11:25).
I confess that I worry about money. This preacher needs to hear his own sermons for sure! Please plan to join us on Sunday as we seek guidance from God’s Money Principles.
Didi
