Content with Last Year’s Sandals

When I was a kid, I got $2 for allowance. I could spend one dollar on whatever I wanted (usually comic books) and one dollar had to go in my savings account. As I got older, my dad drilled into my head the importance of putting money into retirement at a young age — depositing just $10 a paycheck into a 401(k) would benefit me well in my later years.

Perhaps because of these lessons or perhaps because I’m a steady and reliable first born, I’ve had very little debt and usually have money in the bank. However, 18 months ago, I quit my job and started my own business. It was definitely God’s leading and not something I did on a whim (steady, reliable, first born — I don’t do whims!). The last year and a half has been an adventure in trusting God, but in the last couple of months, I’ve struggled to not worry about money and be content with where I am financially. There are things I’d like to do around my house, my car’s mileage is approaching the 100,000 mark, and my black sandals are getting a little embarrassing. But in June, Blake Ashdown preached a message that reminded me of how much I have. Hebrews 13:5 says, “Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.’”

Even if my savings account is not what it once was and my car is not new and my sandals make my mom shake her head, I am so thankful that I have a car to drive (that is paid for) and shoes to wear. Beyond that, the God of the universe says He will never leave me. That’s worth more than a 401(k) any day!

Patty Dextrom