As most people these days, the family budget has been under intense scrutiny.
Which isn't a bad thing.
And in the middle of all of this scrutinizing, we are gaining a greater understanding of the choices we make with the money we spend.
Learning, for instance, that the money I spend on the luxury of a cup of coffee for me could benefit a person who has no food to eat.
Choices are important & they effect people.
And when Lee & I do a great job at cutting back where we spend we high five and feel proud & that's good, right?
But there's this other side....I have watched business I love go under.
And those are people.
Those are families.
I don't want to make excuses for living extravagantly by any means. But I don't want to forget some people simply by remembering others.
A good friend a while back was frustrated because her dryer was broken & she didn't want to spend the money to have it fixed. That's never fun. When you're trying so hard to stay in the black. To maintain life as we know it sometimes.
But then we began to think of the person fixing the dryer. A person who has probably been really hurting in this economy. A person who may have a family praying for work.
I hope I don't forget that by not spending money I can hurt people too.
I hope I remember that it's so much about people. And putting dollar signs in place of those faces, those stories, can be hurtful.
I don't think this is even a complete thought written in this post. But it's been on my heart for some time now....and I wonder if anyone else has felt this way. I wonder if anyone has some wisdom to share for keeping the balance.
Because we want to be good stewards.
But we want to encourage others in their work, too.
Which isn't a bad thing.
And in the middle of all of this scrutinizing, we are gaining a greater understanding of the choices we make with the money we spend.
Learning, for instance, that the money I spend on the luxury of a cup of coffee for me could benefit a person who has no food to eat.
Choices are important & they effect people.
And when Lee & I do a great job at cutting back where we spend we high five and feel proud & that's good, right?
But there's this other side....I have watched business I love go under.
And those are people.
Those are families.
I don't want to make excuses for living extravagantly by any means. But I don't want to forget some people simply by remembering others.
A good friend a while back was frustrated because her dryer was broken & she didn't want to spend the money to have it fixed. That's never fun. When you're trying so hard to stay in the black. To maintain life as we know it sometimes.
But then we began to think of the person fixing the dryer. A person who has probably been really hurting in this economy. A person who may have a family praying for work.
I hope I don't forget that by not spending money I can hurt people too.
I hope I remember that it's so much about people. And putting dollar signs in place of those faces, those stories, can be hurtful.
I don't think this is even a complete thought written in this post. But it's been on my heart for some time now....and I wonder if anyone else has felt this way. I wonder if anyone has some wisdom to share for keeping the balance.
Because we want to be good stewards.
But we want to encourage others in their work, too.
4 comments:
This is a good thought,but I do not have any solutions to the problem. I am doing good just to spend less. I can only worry about one thing at a time. I will think on this and let you know what I come up with.
I have no idea how I got to your blog but it might be from Melissa's..My husband and I own our own catering business www.ashleymacs.com and we hope to adopt one day-hopefully from the income of our business. So yes, if you feel the need to splurge on your kids bday cake or get a xmas party catered you never know where those profits will go!(:
Hi there
Great share, thanks for your time
Hello
Awesome post, just want to say thanks for the share
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