Lately I have had more than one church member sheepishly approach me with something as small as a soft drink saying, “I know you are encouraging this financial fast. I just haven’t started yet.” Contrary to what you may think, I am not on a crusade to rid the world of small things people enjoy. The fast is not about losing things or giving things up. A fast is a spiritual tool that enables us to understand ourselves and our relationship to things in the world and to God. I am on week two of the financial fast and here are some things that I am really pleased to discover:
1. Not much has changed. I haven’t had any epic struggles over buying things. This is good news.
2. There have been some wants that I have given up. Almost all of them are not healthy in other ways. They are the small guilty pleasures of life that when enjoyed in moderation probably won’t end my life but certainly won’t extend it either.
3. It has not been that hard to give things up. This is not suffering.
4. I have a very clear picture of some of the habits of my life that I was not aware of before the fast. Paying for groceries with cash, for instance, has been fascinating. I can feel the price of certain items in ways that I don’t normally notice when using a debit card.
Here is what I have enjoyed the most about the financial fast: I am talking to God more as I consider financial decisions. Money is attached to so many moments of the day. There are fees paid for an activity at school , gas for the car, groceries, offering at church, and so many others. Each of these is a moment to ask myself about my life, my priorities and how I use the resources I enjoy. I am for the financial fast. I think that it is a helpful tool to take a look where the money is going and what impulses drive us, or don’t.
It has been 2 weeks since we finished the Financial Fast and I have only used my CC for two purchases. 1 a special gift for hubby that I paid off as soon as I got home from a trip, and a big medical bill. I used to pay with the CC all the time so we could rack up the reward points, but over time all we racked up was debt. it is definitely more transparent using cash, and we are a cash family these days. I volunteered to do the fast, I hated parts of it, and as usual in life, I have to admit it was a great thing for us to do. Sherri Newman
ReplyDeleteThe great thing about this is that our kids know what we are doing. October is birthday mania month for us - we have 2 birthdays 6 days apart. Our oldest is price comparing, making lists and budgeting to the best of her ability. It is a great thing to see.
ReplyDeleteWe're currently on Day 13 of the fast. We're learning so much about how we typically spend money on little things (that can add up) and are finding that we aren't missing them.
ReplyDeleteEach day begets the question (several times daily) when comtemplating a trip to the store - is it a want or a need? Asking this question internally during the fast has been very impactful and revealing about habits that can be improved.
We've been enjoying home cooked meals, more family together time, trips to the park, library, etc. All blessings resulting from the fast - especially on the beautiful fall weekends we've had lately. We've slowed down.
The Day 11 Chapter of Michelle Singletary's book "The Impact of an Inheritance" really hit me. Proverbs 13:22 - Good people leave an inheritance for their childrens children. The chapter is about teaching children how to handle finances which they learn from our behavior. Since our girls are 4 and 1, we hope to instill the value of first fruits and living within their means by learning from our past financial decisions.
Loving the P2P book and the fast as the words and scriptures are challenging me each day for the better!