Fighting For Your Marriage – Part 2

In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has. Proverbs 21:20

One of the most common issues that cause marriages to fail is finances. There’s a nice story about an usher who passed the collection plate at a church wedding. When one of the guests objected, he said, ‘I understand how you feel, but the father of the bride needs the money.’ Seriously, the number-one reason for divorce these days is money. That’s interesting, because we have more money today than at any time in the past. So what’s the problem? In a nutshell, it’s our lifestyle. The more we have, the more we want, and the more we’re willing to go into debt to get it. When times are good that philosophy works, but in the last fifty years we’ve lived through ten recessions. For example, people who bought a home for $100,000, planning to sell it for $200,000 within a year or two, ended up losing everything because the housing market crashed. Imagine the stress that puts on a marriage! The strong endure; the weak don’t. We recently became reacquainted with a mostly forgotten word – frugality. It means buying only what you can afford. The Bible says, ‘In the house of the wise are stores…but a foolish man devours all he has’ (Proverbs 21:20 paraphrase). Financial experts now recommend keeping a minimum of six months’ living expenses in a ‘rainy day’ account. In the last decade we’ve gone through a major and painful correction. It taught us that the secret of happiness in marriage isn’t spending all you’ve got, but saving, and taking time to enjoy what you have.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to live within the means you have provided. In Jesus’ Name, Amen