Let the poor say I am rich

I read a story in the newspaper about a man who shot his wife, his children and then himself because he could not provide for his family. For him, it was easier to have them dead than to watch them go without. Isn't that sad? He quit. He gave up. I don't know his full circumstances but I know that what he did was not the best answer. Actually, to me and to God, it was no answer at all. The stronghold that money has on some people can cause devastating results. The love of money truly is the root of all evil. Statistics show that money is the cause of most divorces. Most of my drinking when I was alone was because of financial reasons. It seems ironic now how much money I spent on alcohol to drown out my financial fears. If I added up all the money it cost me to escape from uncomfortable feelings of fear, I probably would have been able to pay the bills. That is the insanity of alcoholism. I took my last few dollars to buy cigarettes and alcohol and then complained I couldn't buy food. One of the hardest principles I had to learn in recovery was that, fear of economic failure would leave me. They told me I no longer had to be motivated by fear of finances. That didn't happen overnight. That was a long process. I couldn't imagine being free from financial fear. It was what I thought about all day long. But today if I wake up in the morning and thank God for His provision, I might not receive a new boat, but I have food, and clothes and all my needs are met. There is contentment in my life today I never experienced before.

Thought to meditate on:
I think financial insecurity is the norm for most people. Not to many people have a huge savings account and an endless supply of money. God knows we all wish we did but that is not a true reality for most people. And it seems for those who do have more, they just have bigger expenses and more bills. So in the end, we are all doing about the same financially. But God doesn't want our focus to be on what we have and don't have. He wants us focused on Him. He is our provider. He will meet all of our needs. If you put God first, He will put you first. The Bible says that God wants you lacking no good thing. He wants your vats to be full and overflowing.

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