My husband and I are currently participating in Dave Ramsey’s curriculum, “Financial Peace University.”
Ramsey urges participants to carry cash for regular purchases like groceries and entertainment. He teaches that when you pay with cash, you are more likely to “feel” the purchase than when you use a credit or debit card. Feeling the pain of giving away money can prevent overspending, which means participants can save more and have less debt.
This is a new practice for us, as we have grown accustomed to earning air miles on most of our purchases by using our credit cards. It feels awkward and has raised unexpected questions. One of my concerns has been becoming so obsessed with our spending that we no longer feel free to be spontaneously generous. When you “feel” your money, are you as willing to share it with others?
Case in point: We have given ourselves a set amount of pocket money in cash. After a workout, my husband, Josh, was really hungry and decided to stop by the local gas station for a breakfast taco. He figured he had collected enough change in his car to pay for it, which was preferable to him than spending his pocket money. But when he got to the cash register, he discovered he was 40 cents short.
Josh, at the time, was dressed in workout clothes — a ratty old shirt, shorts and some beat up tennis shoes. He thinks this may be the reason why the person in line behind him insisted on paying for his taco. Despite some embarrassment, Josh accepted the gift. But he came home musing on how paying in cash and knowing he had a limited amount to spend on things like tacos cultivated a feeling of scarcity in him rather than abundance.
The irony is that we have an abundant life. We have a beautiful home, two cars and great doctors. We have the resources to purchase healthy foods. We have all the clean water we need — to drink, to wash dishes and clothes. We have the resources to financially support our congregation and nonprofits we care about.
Still, when buying the taco of the person in front of us in line is not in the budget, are we willing to make that purchase anyway — for the sake of generosity? When spending feels painful because we are working to pay off our car and save for retirement, are we willing to continue supporting those nonprofits?
Is it possible to be disciplined with one’s money and still be generous?
Now, I know that the answer to this question is “yes!” What is striking to me is how generosity feels more difficult when we pay better attention to our spending. In response, we have decided to be more intentional about talking about the abundance we’ve been given. Our budget is how we plan to use this abundance. Rather than saying, “I only have x dollars of pocket money,” we want to say to one another, “I’ve been blessed with x dollars of pocket money!”
I have a feeling a similar change in language could help our congregation as we talk about the church budget, too. How is God inviting us to use the abundance God has provided, even if it is less than what we expected or feel like we need? How might we cultivate corporate generosity even as we “feel” the money?
RACHEL YOUNG is the associate pastor of spiritual formation at Clear Lake Presbyterian Church, in Houston, Texas.
