"Mo Money Mo Problems"

I have always had a struggle with money. What to spend it on, how to save it, and how to get more of it. If I’m being honest with myself, it has taken control of my life at times.

My friend once said that if you want to know what you care about the most, look at where you spend your money. As Americans, we have ALL given in to spending our time and money on luxuries, big or small. The majority of us have jobs that we don’t even enjoy, and our FB statuses dread the morn of Mondays. I don’t know about you, but the idea of spending 5 out of 7 days dragging my feet bums me out hardcore. It doesn’t have to be that way. The truth is, we have allowed money to run our lives and on top of that, ruin our lives.

We live in a messed up world where your value comes from your job and your salary. “The Myth of Measure: a person’s opinion of you + your performance = your self-worth.” While the wealthy businessman is respected and admired because of his company that only feeds money back into itself, another man is trying to change the world, making barely any money at all, and is looked down upon. Does anyone else see how screwed up that is?! Your identity will never be found by the logo on your shirt or by the size of your house.

Want the truth? It’s not my money, and it’s not your money. It’s all God’s money.

I know that might seem ridiculous, but is it really that outrageous? When you recognize your money as belonging to God, it changes EVERYTHING. Not only does it change the way you spend your money, but it changes the way you WANT to spend it. I have never felt freer in my life than to be supporting the things I believe in with the little money I make. Trust me, I am a person that checks my bank account like its nobody’s business. I look at the puny little number and start to freak out. But when I worry about my finances, I am not trusting God, and that is a HUGE problem. He says that he will provide everything I need. The reality is, we lose sight of what we need and focus on what we WANT. We have let go of simplicity and have overcomplicated our lives with stuff. And that stuff we invest all our money in won’t last. When we put all our faith in our belongings, we are only setting ourselves up for disappointment. Chances are that that jacket will go missing, that phone will get stolen, and that car won’t last forever.

I had to recognize certain luxuries in my life that I needed to cut down and even cut out. It’s comforting to invest your money into a life of security, but those comforts will never satisfy. Let’s be real; we could go crazy everyday until we achieve the American Dream or obtain a certain status, but then what? Once we get it, are we really going to be content with what we have and how we portray ourselves? I think you know the answer.

It may seem radical, but while we are repeatedly throwing away our money on thrills, we are in reality throwing away our lives. I know it’s hard to see outside of the American bubble, but millions of people around the world can’t comprehend why we have “houses” for our cars, “rooms” just for our clothes, and these things called refrigerators that can store all the food we want for weeks on end. By no means is this a guilt-trip, but I think it’s safe to say that when you put things into perspective, we are crazy blessed to have the everyday things we have.

I’ll be honest: I am barely getting by this summer. My paychecks have literally been cut in half from a year ago. But the thing is, I am absolutely crazy about my job. Up until now, I have never felt such purpose in the work place. My bank account may not be getting bigger, but I thank God everyday that my heart is. God gave you specific talents and gifts to change lives, so don’t waste them! When you make your work your passionate about your life work, you’ve made it big.

So what’s my point? I have met people who have worked their whole lives for a plaque on the wall. I have met people who have slaved away at jobs they hate to buy a loved one a nice gift to please them for the time being. The fact is that none of those things will ever be enough. Whatever you do or wherever you go, let love be your lead. Here is the start to the rest of your life to bless people like crazy, whether in the workplace or out. Love is the only thing that makes this life worthwhile, and no money in the world could ever put a price on that.

I guess Notorious B.I.G. knew what he was talking about.

-Dee