“So you know where money comes from?” Mom asked to see if Alaysha was paying attention.
“You have to earn it,” Alaysha answered. “And if you work more, you’ll make more money!”
“That’s true,” Mom said, “but there’s something else you need to know about money. Something that’s also always true.”
“What’s that?” Alaysha asked.
Her mom made a grave face. Finally, she said, “Money is always limited.”
Money isn’t infinite. It represents real work. You are limited in the type of work you can do and the amount of time you can spend doing it. So your money is limited too. This is true for everyone. From the poorest person to the richest billionaire. No one has enough money to buy every single thing they want. They might try to make more and more money to keep up with their desires, but they’ll still feel unfulfilled and sad.
Many places in the Bible, including Ecclesiastes 5:10, say that there’s never a perfect dollar amount that feels like enough. These verses encourage you to ask God for fulfillment, and put money in its place. Money is always limited. God is unlimited. If you see things that way, you can make wise money decisions that lead to more happiness.
Many people get wise about money by tracking exactly how much they get and spend. You can use a budgeting program to do this, or just write down each transaction in a notebook.
Try this: Practice tracking the flow of money in and out of your household. For one week, write down every time you get money and every time you spend it or give it away. Write down the date, the amount of money, and what it was for. When the week is up, look back at your list and think about what you learned. If you’re learning a lot, you can keep on tracking!
Prayer: God, I am limited, but you are limitless. Thank you for giving me what I need every day. Give me wisdom to understand the flow of my money. I trust that you will take care of me no matter what. Amen.
