Misconceptions

I am often amazed at how many people believe I’m wealthy.

The nice suits, the notoriety.  It must be true, right?

Wrong.

I live in a modest single-level three bedroom house in the country.  I drive a pre-owned vehicle – not a Beamer.  I go to Walmart every weekend with my wife to buy groceries and have my oil changed like everyone else.  Our version of “living it up” is taking a drive in the country and eating Mexican.  When we’re at home, it’s watching “Everybody Loves Raymond” reruns and eating pizza.  No swanky parties.  No hobnobbing with high society.  No late nights dancing and dining with the elite.

Some may call mine a boring life.  I call it paradise.

The reality of it all is we struggle to make ends meet like everyone else.  We sit at our dining room table, spread full of bills we owe and try to figure out who gets paid this week and who doesn’t.  We then pray over it all and trust God for the rest.

Yes, trust God.

If I were to completely trust in myself, I’d fail – and do.  There are examples of this plastered all over my life.  Yet, I’ve never seen God fail me even in the worst of times.

So, you might be saying “why doesn’t God just dump money in your lap?”  Well, He doesn’t work that way.  Jesus could’ve called ten thousand angels from heaven to save Him from the cross…but He didn’t.  He knew His calling was to die for our sins.  He knew his destiny was to die for our salvation.  He could’ve stopped it but we’d never have hope for eternity.

Simply, we are made for Him.  And, if you believe this like I do, then everything belongs to Him.  The house, the car, the bills.  It’s all His.  However, giving it all to God is not a license to be irresponsible.  Yes, God forgives our failures and His grace to us is new every day.  Still, we are created for His pleasure and to be a reflection of His glory…not ours.  Our righteousness is as filthy rags, but it is only by His grace we are made worthy.  It is only by the shedding of His blood we are made His children.  In this way, we yearn to do the things He wants us to and lean not unto our own understanding.

Bottom line, He wants us to do His will, not our own.

Even I will admit this is easier said than done.  I get discouraged, just like you when it comes to paying bills and there’s not enough money.  Yet, God has never let me do without the things I really need.  It is truly living by faith.  And while I cannot fully explain it, I just know to live it out.  It works.

When I hear people say “you’re the highest paid liar in town” and then laugh, I get the joke.  But, you really don’t understand the whole picture.  Because I wear a nice suit (which is required for my job), some tend to believe I have it easy.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

My wife and I both work to make ends meet.  Sometimes those ends don’t meet.  Too many times, there is too much month at the end of the money.  I know you get there, too.  Look, I don’t have all the answers…I would just encourage you to do the best you can with what you have and trust in God for the rest.  He will see you through.

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