Reason #561
We got a new car today. We had to. You may be thinking, "you didn't have to get a new car." But we actually did. We spent 5 hours at a dealership staring a two cars, trying to weigh the pros and the cons of each, driving them in circles, and hoping to get the best deal. I've only purchased one other car in my life, and that one was a "want to," not a "have to." And so the feeling is a little different when you fork over a few thousand bucks for something you want rather than when it's a necessity.
You people all know how I feel about spending money, so it was no surprise that buying a new car made me wince a little bit. Living is expensive, no matter how much you try to get the best deal sometimes. And when it comes to putting ones self into debt, my head starts to hurt. And so although I knew that this was how we would be spending our Saturday, it still wasn't easy for me. I tried my best to prepare myself ahead of time, but there isn't an easy way prepare yourself for a 6 year, monthly commitment.
My parents were sweet to host a family birthday dinner for me tonight, but after spending a few hours walking around a parking lot in 100+ degree weather, and signing a hundred papers, I was zapped. Tired and a little discouraged, which sounds funny considering I was able to take home a shiny, new car today, right? And so I kind of hated that I couldn't find it within me to be that person who is racing all over town to show off their new purchase. Who is giddy as they are driving away from the dealership. The new car owner who brings their car home and immediately begins to arrange all of their personal items in the new spaces. No, I came home, took a shower, put on comfy clothes, and we were off to birthday dinner.
Growing up, my dad used to always say, "It's just money. We'll make more of it tomorrow." True statement. It is just money. It's going to eventually get spent one way or another. Of course, it's more fun to spend someone else's money, but I tried to really tell myself this today. Because I get really caught up thinking too much about money sometimes. I see money as a sense of security. I don't mean that money can buy you better things, which makes you feel more secure. I think of it in terms of saving it to feel secure. Because what if something really drastic or dramatic happens? Well, we'll be able to pay for it. What if a big expense occurs and it can't be put on a payment plan? Well, that's okay because we've got enough saved to cover it. And what if a great need arises? Guess what, we can afford it. And most of the time, I think about having a family. If/when that ever comes about and I want to stay home with the kid(s), we'll be able to make it work and feed them at the same time. And that's how I see money. Something I've worked very hard and diligently for. Something that I've been very cautious and conscious with. So when it comes to spending it on material things, I don't always want to. I want to save as much as I can so that I'll have more in the future to use on whatever things may come up.
But, as with all things in life, you never know what's going to happen. You can plan and prepare for any potential event as much as possible, and it may or may not occur. And then the things you didn't plan for pop up, and so you have to some how factor those in, too. So the truth is, it doesn't really matter what your plans are, things are going to happen the way they are going to happen. This one happened, and I realized that I just needed to be grateful. Thankful that the Lord has allowed Aaron and I to both have full time jobs. That He has given us families who were generous to put us through college so that we could get a good education. That He has given us healthy bodies and minds so that we can work. And, that right there is quite a bit if you think about it. Because if we weren't able to work and learn and have a job, a new car wouldn't be an option and we'd be stuck in a really bad spot. But God is generous to us. So often I want to magically find thousands of dollars lying around, come across a lost winning lottery ticket that didn't get traded in, or stumble into a huge jackpot because it'd be nice to just be able to pay for things and still have plenty left over... just in case. But God has proven Himself faithful time and time again in every situation, expected and unexpected. And when your Father holds the entire world in His hands, when He has created every single thing and all of it belongs to Him, you see that it doesn't matter how much you do or don't have. Because all of it is His, and it always has been. He just allows us access to those things while we are here.
And so I am thankful to serve a God who can supply every need from His glorious riches, which never runs dry. And when we trust Him, when we seek Him and allow Him to be our provider, we don't have to worry about the "just in case" because He'll take care of that, too... if it ever comes about.
#561 - Because He supplies for every need, expected, unexpected, and the "just in case."
"The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him." - Psalm 24:1
You people all know how I feel about spending money, so it was no surprise that buying a new car made me wince a little bit. Living is expensive, no matter how much you try to get the best deal sometimes. And when it comes to putting ones self into debt, my head starts to hurt. And so although I knew that this was how we would be spending our Saturday, it still wasn't easy for me. I tried my best to prepare myself ahead of time, but there isn't an easy way prepare yourself for a 6 year, monthly commitment.
My parents were sweet to host a family birthday dinner for me tonight, but after spending a few hours walking around a parking lot in 100+ degree weather, and signing a hundred papers, I was zapped. Tired and a little discouraged, which sounds funny considering I was able to take home a shiny, new car today, right? And so I kind of hated that I couldn't find it within me to be that person who is racing all over town to show off their new purchase. Who is giddy as they are driving away from the dealership. The new car owner who brings their car home and immediately begins to arrange all of their personal items in the new spaces. No, I came home, took a shower, put on comfy clothes, and we were off to birthday dinner.
Growing up, my dad used to always say, "It's just money. We'll make more of it tomorrow." True statement. It is just money. It's going to eventually get spent one way or another. Of course, it's more fun to spend someone else's money, but I tried to really tell myself this today. Because I get really caught up thinking too much about money sometimes. I see money as a sense of security. I don't mean that money can buy you better things, which makes you feel more secure. I think of it in terms of saving it to feel secure. Because what if something really drastic or dramatic happens? Well, we'll be able to pay for it. What if a big expense occurs and it can't be put on a payment plan? Well, that's okay because we've got enough saved to cover it. And what if a great need arises? Guess what, we can afford it. And most of the time, I think about having a family. If/when that ever comes about and I want to stay home with the kid(s), we'll be able to make it work and feed them at the same time. And that's how I see money. Something I've worked very hard and diligently for. Something that I've been very cautious and conscious with. So when it comes to spending it on material things, I don't always want to. I want to save as much as I can so that I'll have more in the future to use on whatever things may come up.
But, as with all things in life, you never know what's going to happen. You can plan and prepare for any potential event as much as possible, and it may or may not occur. And then the things you didn't plan for pop up, and so you have to some how factor those in, too. So the truth is, it doesn't really matter what your plans are, things are going to happen the way they are going to happen. This one happened, and I realized that I just needed to be grateful. Thankful that the Lord has allowed Aaron and I to both have full time jobs. That He has given us families who were generous to put us through college so that we could get a good education. That He has given us healthy bodies and minds so that we can work. And, that right there is quite a bit if you think about it. Because if we weren't able to work and learn and have a job, a new car wouldn't be an option and we'd be stuck in a really bad spot. But God is generous to us. So often I want to magically find thousands of dollars lying around, come across a lost winning lottery ticket that didn't get traded in, or stumble into a huge jackpot because it'd be nice to just be able to pay for things and still have plenty left over... just in case. But God has proven Himself faithful time and time again in every situation, expected and unexpected. And when your Father holds the entire world in His hands, when He has created every single thing and all of it belongs to Him, you see that it doesn't matter how much you do or don't have. Because all of it is His, and it always has been. He just allows us access to those things while we are here.
And so I am thankful to serve a God who can supply every need from His glorious riches, which never runs dry. And when we trust Him, when we seek Him and allow Him to be our provider, we don't have to worry about the "just in case" because He'll take care of that, too... if it ever comes about.
#561 - Because He supplies for every need, expected, unexpected, and the "just in case."
"The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him." - Psalm 24:1
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