Learning to be Content

Scriptures: Prov 30:7-9; Phil 4:11-14

Do you find yourself playing, Keeping up with the Jones?  Do you always need to have the next best thing or be the first on the block to have one?  Do you fall prey to the never ending flow of advertising that bombards us from every angle? Yes, then challenge yourself to be content with what you have, which may be nothing.

Contentment – something that seems to be elusive for many.   Why do we find it so hard to be content?

Webster defines “being content” as 1: to appease the desires of, or 2: to limit (oneself) in requirements, desires or action.  And so there are two different ways of achieving contentment, to appease or to limit our desires.

The easiest way to achieve contentment is to appease our desires.  The problem, though, is that too often we use credit (go into debt) to appease our desires. And, too often, what we purchase fails to truly appease our desires, not to mention how we hate to pay the credit card bills each month.

The harder means of achieving contentment is to limit ones desires.  We don’t like being told no.  But isn’t this what our parents told us when they knew what we wanted wasn’t good for us or we weren’t ready for it.  And despite our disappointment, we survived and went on with life.  Somehow we have forgotten this lesson.

The most important concept to recognize about contentment is that it must be learned!  Examine closely what Paul states in his letter to the church in Philippi; he learned to be content in whatever his circumstances – and so must we. 

One sure way of being more content is to watch fewer – even none of the – commercials on TV.  It’s been said that: “Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it.” (Anonymous) Shielding yourself from the constant deluge of advertising around you will definitely foster more contentment in your life.

Another way you can avoid the spontaneous purchase, that purchase of whim, is to wait 30 days before making the purchase.  If after 30 days, you still want to make the purchase, do so from a plan that involves no debt.  The cool thing is that you may discover that you really don’t need to make the purchase and life will go on, none the worse.

While one extreme to “living within our means” is the minimalist lifestyle that has recently become popular in society, it is never a bad thing to do without some of the things we buy.  And if we can learn to live without that something, contentment will follow!

A Sure Way!

Scriptures: Prov 11:15; Prov 17:18; Prov 22:26-27; Prov 6:1-3

Are credit cards inherently evil?  No, but they can get you into financial trouble faster than it takes to get out of it.  Yet, credit cards do offer cash flow benefits to those who use them wisely.  Do you always have a sure way of paying off your credit card balances each month?

There are two points I wish to make in the article; the first is how to rightly use a credit card and secondly, how to avoid the consequences of cosigning debt. 

Credit cards are not inherently bad; it’s usually how we chose to use them that get us into trouble.  Credit should, at best, be short term and thus is how we should use it – short term.  Specifically, if you cannot pay off your credit card balance when the monthly statement arrives, you have probably overspent your budget. 

It’s that simple – don’t spend more with your credit card than what you earn per month or saved by the end of the month. 

When you read the Scriptures for this tweet, it speaks of surety or being a guarantor.  Being certain that you can pay off your debts is the definition of surety.  Whether it is your pay check for the month or coming from your savings, you should always be sure that you can pay off your debt each month! 

Surety is, and should be, diametrically opposed to hope.  You should never hope that you can pay off your debts, hope that you get that extra overtime, hope that you get that bonus, hope that you get that raise or promotion, hope that you win the lottery (okay this one is a stretch).  And so, how much do you spend without a sure way to pay for it? 

Which brings me to the second point and that is cosigning.  Too often, as parents of a young teenager, we cosign a credit application with the hopes that we are building a credit history for our young adult.  But in cosigning, do you realize that if your teenager does not have the means to pay for what is charged, you are the next in line to pay for the debt?  And since you have to pay the bill, is this the lesson you want to teach?

If you haven’t planned for the extra expense that can come with cosigning, then I would suggest one thing. Don’t cosign the credit application; there really is no rush to have a credit card.  Paying cash is not a crime and this is actually the best way for a teenager to learn how to manage his/her income.  Hold the line and do not cosign!

But are there any circumstances when cosigning is okay? Maybe, only if you have a sure way to pay.

Cosigning typically comes up as part of a lease/rental contract when your young adult is seeking to rent an apartment while at college.  This is something that happened to me. 

I wrestled with the Scriptures and came to understanding that since I had already planned for this expense as part of my daughter’s education and intended to pay it, I was actually benefiting my daughter’s credit history by doing so, since the lease was in her name.  The good news for me was that my daughter had already saved up the money through her own efforts (she had the sure way to pay the lease) and so she truly established he own credit worthiness and I didn’t have to pay the expense (to my benefit). 

The key point behind my circumstances was that I cosigned only when I had a sure way to pay the rent obligation and also knew that my daughter had a sure way to pay for it.

Bottom Line: Credit cards can be used as a means of augmenting your cash flow throughout the month, expecting that at the end of the month your entire credit card balance is paid off.  If you use credit cards as a means of purchasing things without a sure way of paying off the balance at the end of the month, I strongly recommend rethinking this strategy.