You may be having one of those “country song” days: your wife has left you, the tires are flat, there’s no heat in the house, and the dog has died.
Okay, maybe it is not that bad, but it may be one of those days. Discouragement and despair are knocking repeatedly at the door and you are tired of warding off those giants.
It may be one of those days.
“Don’t give up. It may be one of those days, but He holds it in His hand, and we are becoming what we never imagined”
And it’s January. Christmas bills have come in, and you’ve overspent. You tried – kind of – to stay within your spending plan. However, let’s be honest. You and I can get tired of being vigilant when it comes to money. At More Than Enough, we call it “financial fatigue”.
You may feel like you are in the wilderness of debt repayment.
It may seem like everyone around you has money to spend but you don’t.
It may seem like the costs of living are too high for you to manage.
You hate debt, but the curve balls life has thrown you have led you into the very pit you hate.
Dave and I can find ourselves having the same days you have. Discouraged and tired – tired of talking about money. We live in an atmosphere of materialism and consumerism. The very air we breathe is filled with constant messaging, and messages telling us “we need more stuff”, and we can use financing to service what we want. Easy credit. This year, our federal government deficit is ballooning to over $19 billion. Even our governments are overspending and relying on debt. This is the air we breathe. Should we be surprised that we have a hard time saying “no” to spending, when so many voices in our world are telling us overspending, debt, and buying what you want, doesn’t do any harm?
We shouldn’t be surprised by the pressure. But we are. We shouldn’t be surprised that paying down debt in our culture can be difficult, but it certainly can be at the start.
It may be one of those days.
But, I remind myself, there is more going on than I can see with my eyes.
It may be one of those days, but I remind myself that this day belongs to God, and He is enough for me in this day. He is my manna and water, my bread of life and flowing river. He hasn’t left, even though it seems He is so far away.
Hope comes in the waiting
You may have promises that you have not yet received, or maybe you just have unmet expectations. God hasn’t come through it seems. The loss of hope is so near, and at this point giving up on God’s way is looking like a pretty good option.
Abraham was promised a son. It took over 20 years to receive the promised son Isaac. And in the waiting, he created Ishmael. The young David waited for his kingship, running from an incredibly jealous king, to the point he did not know if he would live or die. David received the promise of kingship through the prophet Samuel, but it was many years before he wore the crown. His waiting looked like running, hiding and fighting.
Taking matters into your own hands
David and I are in the midst of our own waiting, and the temptation is to take matters into our own hands as Abraham did, and create our own “Ishmael”. But honestly, that isn’t the answer. In my faith walk, I know there is only one place to go. Only One who holds my efforts, my waiting, and my expectations in His hand. There is only One to trust.
It may be one of those days, but this day belongs to Him. And I realize there is so much learning, stripping, and relationship I am learning in this day. As God speaks in Deuteronomy 8, this journey is humbling me, causing me to hunger for real food, and leading me to discover the motivations and desires of my heart. He is making known to me, “that I shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” (See Deuteronomy 8:3) These are lessons I would not trade. I realize that it is this very journey (that my flesh wants to escape) that is fashioning me into a person that is experiencing and expressing more of Christ’s love and light.
It is not always easy. I lose focus. I forget. I complain. But then I turn my eyes to the hills, and I see that my help comes from Him, Maker of heaven and earth. (See Psalm 121) Just like Abraham. Just like King David. Without “one of those days”, I won’t become who I am meant to be.
So while I wait, I will do the good I know to do.
I will look to the hills.
I will pay down debt.
I will stand in hope.
I will give of myself to others.
I will stand in trust.
I will say “no” to things that lead to debt.
I will stand in love.
I will wait, armed in God’s armour.
And I will stand in joy.
All the while, I know, I trust, I believe that He is doing a greater work in me than I could ask or imagine, even when – especially when – it is hard and I don’t yet see any fruit. So in the waiting, I will consider this day with all joy, even in the various trials, because my faith is being tested, I am being purified, and I am coming to a place where I will lack nothing. (See James 1:2-4)
So my encouragement is this: don’t give up. It may be one of those days, but He holds it in His hand, and we are becoming what we never imagined.
Rebecca van Noppen is Communications Director at More Than Enough. She is also a teacher, home educator, writer, and woman who loves to pray. She works alongside her husband, Financial Coach David van Noppen, to help others find hope and freedom in Christ on their financial journeys.