I still remember those hot afternoons that my family and I enjoyed under the shade of the mango tree, right in front of the street. That's where one of my uncles used to sit when he came to visit. He was a tall, thin guy with a very peculiar husky and high-pitched voice that crossed his right leg completely over his left as he profitably used the armrest of the chair and began to converse.
On one occasion, I remember, he said with his sly and sarcastic laugh while commenting on his business, "to me how badly the rich fell me, that God punished me by making me one of them!" We could always expect some funny commentary from him.
It has been a long time since those times, enough to reflect on my uncle's comment and how each person tends to adopt a position on money, either by habits learned in the family nucleus, in books or specialized professional sessions, or in popular media.
When we get married, each one brings their own posture and that can cause friction in the marriage, but it does not have to be that way. God teaches us the correct way to use finances. In fact, Jesus made the issue of money one of the most common about which he taught and we have access to his teachings in the Bible.
Change of perspective
One of the most important lessons that my husband and I have learned is that God is the owner of everything (Psalm 24: 1, Haggai 2: 8) and we are his stewards (Luke 16: 11-12). In the recent words of my pastor "God does not live in our world, we live in his." If God has entrusted us with earthly riches, let us be proactive and responsible so that in the end we hear the words "Very well, you are a good and faithful employee; since you were faithful in the little, I will put you in charge of much more "(Matthew 25: 23a).
Some practices that have helped my husband and me to manage God's money wisely are the following:
Pray. God is interested in us communicating with him about everything, including finances. He expects us to approach him for wisdom and direction (James 1: 5). My husband and I often have doubts about how to allocate the money and we bring them to God in prayer knowing that he will give us the answer.
Create a budget
The principle for this type of planning is found in Luke 14:28, "If any of you wants to build a tower, do you not first feel to calculate the expenses, to see if you have what to finish it?". The objective of having a budget is to be able to clearly know what the income is, to adapt all the expenses to that income, not the other way around.
During the planning of our budget, we took into account how much we would designate to invest in the kingdom of God, how much for our expenses, and how much to invest in other people and causes. Budget limits allow us to buy the shoes we need knowing we will have enough to pay the rent. That kind of tranquility is priceless!
Combine our finances
We have a shared bank account and every week we review the expenses, making decisions together on how to distribute the money. With these practices we promote transparency, strengthen the sense of trust, and express our unity (Mark 10: 8).
Acquire knowledge about the world of finance (Proverbs 18:15). Improving in any area requires effort and study. My husband and I continue to learn about how to manage finances more effectively so that we can invest more in other people and causes. Through biblical studies, wise friends and expert suggestions, we continue to grow in this area.