Spending and Worry
August 22, 2023
Katherine Schultz
This post contains a biblical perspective on spending and worry. It is from a series of personal perspectives on the individual questions of the 3-D Worldview Survey.
If I’m honest…
If I’m honest, it’s easy for me to stay focused on my own needs and wants, and to spend on myself. As much as I tend to be a “saver” rather than a “spender,” that doesn’t necessarily help, because I’m saving for my own needs and wants, too. Of course, I can remind myself to be generous, and to be on the lookout for opportunities to give to others, whether by giving money or giving specific stuff. But my natural tendency is sometimes more selfish than generous.
And I have to balance that with my husband’s desire to be generous, and with our own current and future needs. Which sometimes makes me more cautious in being generous than is necessary.
For some people, selfishness comes out by accumulation of stuff, or of money itself. And that gets in the way of giving generously. What it really comes down to for me isn’t actually about the giving: it’s about whether I am going to worry, or trust.
The Truth is…
The truth is, Jesus told us that God supplies all our needs, and we can see the proof when we look at the birds and flowers. The birds have food. The flowers are beautifully “dressed.” (Matthew 6:25-34)
We don’t need to worry about our basic needs because God has provided for us (though I confess sometimes, I don’t see it that way, and I’m not even struggling for survival).
But more significantly, we can adopt an attitude of generosity, holding loosely to what we do have. Whether the amount we have is great or small, we should be wise stewards of it (Matthew 25:14-30), remembering that it all comes from God, and ultimately we can only give back to him from what he has given us (1 Chronicles 29:14).
So instead of spending only on our own needs and wants, we can spend or give to benefit others, and through that, show our desire to be like Jesus, who takes what we give and multiplies it (Matthew 14:13-21).
What about you?
Whether or not you personally practice generosity, it’s a good place to start a conversation with someone to help reveal his or her worldview.
- Take the 3-D Worldview for yourself
Interested in more questions you can ask to help understand a person’s worldview? Download the free pdf “10 Questions to Understand Someone’s Worldview” below.
