The Art of Trusting Financially
- kaseymaasen
- May 18, 2017
- 8 min read
Updated: Jul 22, 2019
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:9 ESV
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." - Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV
"And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others."
- 2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT
One struggle that I continue to face OVER AND OVER AND OVER again is trusting God financially. I'm sure most people could say the same thing, but this is something I hate that I struggle with because I absolutely hate the fact that I am basically telling God all the time that I don't trust Him.
THAT'S A BIG DEAL!!
Have you ever been in a situation where you just could not see or figure out how it was going to work out in the end? For a planner and a perfectionist, being in these type of situations drives me nuts, but I also believe it is in these situations that God does His greatest work in me.
Going back all the way to losing my first "big girl" job out of college (which was honestly the biggest blessing I ever did receive), I have had the privilege to see God shape me through both financial hardships and, what I like to call, financial miracles. He has used so many different avenues to work on my heart when it comes to trusting Him financially.
After losing that first "big girl" job in 2014, I was faced with the struggle of finding part time job after part time job, while I waited for another full time position to open up or come my way in my desired career field --- hopefully with a company I had started consulting for (part time of course) that was opening their doors within the following year.
Needless to say, for someone that had grown up never really having to worry about wanting for anything (no matter how bad that sounds), and someone that had never had to question how I was going to pay my bills in my short time as an "adult", this experience was very humbling (while at the same time frustrating) for me.
I was now working multiple part time jobs in various "industries" that I didn't really have much interest in just to make ends meet, when (like most college grads I suppose) I had only ever imagined myself working full time in my career field after graduating with my degree (and with honors may I add!).
This was never where I saw my life headed, but needless to say, God chose to use this very new and different experience for me to humble me in some big ways.
I learned what it looked like to live pay check to pay check, and I learned what it looked like to really have to budget for every little thing. Most importantly, however, I began to learn what it looked like to have to rely on God completely when I didn't really know how things were going to work out each month.
Upon meeting my husband in 2014 and marrying him in 2015, I also discovered quickly what being in debt looked like. I had very thankfully made it through my college career with no student loans. However, my husband had gone to a private christian college fully on students loans, which let me tell you does add up in the end. Now I love my husband with all my heart and tease him all the time that he knows I definitely didn't marry him for his money, but needless to say this was another path I never saw myself walking down. And yet, once again God has used every minute of this experience to change my heart in some big ways.
Having to pay such a LARGE lump sum of money (about 40% of Daniel's income alone; basically a second mortgage) to a loan agency each month is hard, but through constant prayer and obedience to God, He has shown me (and us) that WITH HIM we can overcome even the hardest of circumstances. Even when things seem completely impossible each month, God has been faithful to provide in non other than miraculous ways.
When I chose to accept a single PART TIME position as the next leg of my career path last year rather than holding out for a full time position that just was not coming my way, I was very lucky that God had already done so much work on my heart those 2 years prior. Otherwise, I honestly would not have been in a very good place to obediently step out in faith into a job that He was obviously calling me into, but that I never saw myself in. There was a reason I had undergone so much financial anxiety over those past 2 years, and now I was seeing why, He had been preparing me to be obedient in an even bigger way.
I had NEVER imagined myself CHOOSING to work part time, especially when things were so tight and complicated for us as a family already, and yet here I was (through a lot of tears and frustration may I add) stepping out and choosing to make less money than I could have elsewhere for our family, but trusting God to take care of it.
Talk about humbling. Coming from a family here both of my parents had always worked full time and that was all I really knew, and having earned my Bachelor's Degree with honors in hopes of working in some fancy event planning business in a big city making tons of money, to now be working part time for a church making the minimum of what I ever expected to make in my career field, my heart was in for a big tune up.
God has used this experience to show me that I am not above any work and that sometimes the most rewarding work can be found in the most unexpected places. Working for the church has been more satisfying and fulfilling than I know I would have ever felt anywhere else. I have not only found true passion in my work, but I have also found a family that truly cares about me and my husband.
God is truly good.
Making ends meet each month has definitely been a real struggle for us, but somehow we always come out ahead. My budget usually says there is no way things are adding up each month, and yet we somehow always have the means to make ends meet -- sometimes even the ability to put some extra away into savings.
I'm telling you GOD IS GOOD!
Now to say I remember all of this every time unexpected expenses come up, or when the numbers just aren't adding up and I don't know how things are going to work out, would be giving myself way too much credit.
Remember I said this is the one thing I continually struggle with OVER AND OVER AND OVER again.
However, it is definitely encouraging to know and to be able to look back and see how much God has provided in such miraculous ways over the past few years. That is tangible proof that I can cling to when even the most frustrating and agonizing financial circumstances hit.
God teaches me time and time again that if I simply rely on Him, He will take care of our NEEDS. He teaches me that in trying to figuring everything out on my own, I will always fail.
No matter how many times I go through this vicious cycle of financial anxiety, I wouldn't trade any of it for the world, because each time I am reminded once again about the importance of our reliance on Him.
If I hadn't had to go through any of this these past few years, it's scary to think that I would still be making tons of money at a job that I never really liked at all, I would never have been forced to rely on God because I would have been able to make things work all by myself, and I probably wouldn't have met as many amazing people along the way that helped me in such significant ways because I wouldn't have needed the help. Like I mentioned, I NEVER saw my life headed in this direction after graduation, but I also would NEVER change a single instance because it all brought me down to my knees relying on Him for absolutely everything. It is the most incredible feeling at the end of the month to constantly be able to point back to Him and say "He is the ONLY reason why."
[Now before I continue and wrap everything up,
let me clarify one big point before you all hear me incorrectly.
I do not believe that He will just fulfill all of our needs without any work from us, but as long as we trust in Him, are obedient in our giving (at least 10% of EVERYTHING, No Matter What!), and continually put our reliance on Him alone, He will provide.. no, not always how we want, but ALWAYS how we need.]
So, most recently, after LOTS of prayer for guidance about what God wanted me to do job wise when our beautiful baby girl arrives in July, God really laid it on my heart to step back even more in my position at the church.
WHAT?! How would that even make sense or be possible!
Once again, I was being faced with the challenge of feeling God leading me in one direction with no idea how it would ever actually work out.
Once again, I was being faced with the challenge of trusting God when it just didn't make sense because financially we are already tight, so how could He really want me to step back even more.
He placed this feeling on my heart so evidently that I knew this was exactly what He wanted for me and the future of our family, but financially I just couldn't see HOW.
Well, after a few more months of prayer and discussion with my superiors at work, it looks like I will most definitely be stepping back in my position at the church, stepping down from two roles into just one that will only require half of the hours from me each week (which also equals about half the pay...).
I am not sure how He is going to twist this one to work out, but I know He will. He has proven it to me time and time again. So, yes, though it is scary and I am not sure how any of this is going to work out exactly, I know He has a plan. He placed this on my heart for a reason, He laid it all out for a reason, and now it is my job to trust Him and step out in faith... once again.
The part I am most excited about is the fact that by the fruition of all of this I will be able to point back to Him once again saying He is the reason why all of this worked out. How cool is that?! There will be no other explanation but Him! I love when my life points directly to Him!
So all in all, to sum everything up, I just want to let you know that though God's plan is usually much scarier and typically riskier than we would prefer with our own plans, it is usually through that risk that our faith is stretched and His amazing work is accomplished.
So... Step Out. Take a Risk. Let God Work. Trust In Him.
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