Since having my first job, I have slowly learned how to budget. I found that I have improved handling our finances little by little over the years. As I have learned how following a budget could change our lives, I have shared what I have learned with family, friends and others wishing for help as well to find some financial peace. Some along the way have asked the question “Shouldn’t we just trust God to take care us?”
I first grasped how to budget during the most recent recession and agreed whole heartedly with my husband that we needed to save up an emergency fund. We had neighbors and friends without employment for more than a year, and homes had been foreclosed all around us. It was not hard for us to understand the importance of having an emergency fund when financially hard times was a reality for anyone at any moment.
The purpose of an emergency fund is to provide basic living expenses for a period of time determined by the amount in the bank account to prevent debt when income is not available. Is it Godly to store up money for possible financial hard times or should we pray for God to provide when the difficult times arrive?
I strongly feel that God wants us to reserve emergency funds. For many of us, hard times will come at some point in our lives or we will know someone dear to us that will need financial assistance. Why wait until the hard times for God to provide when he may have given years of plenty to be prepared when they arrive?
In the story of Joseph, God gave Egypt seven years of plenty. Through God’s direction, Joseph coordinated efforts to store up for the seven years of famine that were upon them. When the famine became a reality, Joseph’s obedience to follow God’s direction not only saved Egyptian lives but lives of nearby lands by being able to share their excess.
We can apply the same concept to our finances. If managed well and mindfully, we can achieve margin in our finances to save for the times of uncertainty that are sure to come at some point. It is important to understand that God is often answering our future prayers concerning money at different times of our lives. If we become fortunate to not ever experience financial hardship in our lives, could we be God’s answers to someone’s prayers when we share?
Writer Bio: Summer Bolte
I spend most of my time and days with my three kids, husband and dog. My kids frequently play near me as I garden, cook, DIY and volunteer. My most unusual paying job has to be feeding fruit flies in a research lab, and my most fulfilling job was being an oncology nurse for seven years.
