Can I Live By Faith But Also Within My Budget?
Children’s education is an important issue for all parents – including missionaries. We want our kids to have the best schooling available. Their future matters to us greatly.
Do we stretch our faith and place them in an expensive school, knowing we don’t really have the money for this? Or do we carefully look at our budget and make the hard decision to put them in a school that isn’t as good, but more affordable? Missionaries are regularly faced with these kinds of faith versus budget decisions.
Failure to “get this right” can result in the kind of debt that knocks us off the field and out of our calling. Or worse, it ruins our lives and leaves us bankrupt. Overstretching our budgets adds huge levels of stress to our lives. It can even cause depression. Not “doing well by our kids” might also result in feelings of failure in our parental roles.
So, when do we step out in faith, believing God will supply for these kinds of needs? And when do we hold back?
As missionaries, we must learn to walk in a healthy balance of faith and realistic actions. Blind faith is not pleasing to God and leads to all kinds of problems. What some people call faith, is more like wishful thinking. True faith looks carefully at the real situation, then looks to God for wisdom. If you are sure you’ve heard from God, move forward. Otherwise, learn to live within your means. God can provide incredible opportunities for your kid’s future, even with a less prestigious education.
From Kindergarten to College – God Made a Way
Our eldest daughter had just turned four. She was bright and excited to learn. We found a good playschool not far from our house where some other kids we knew attended. Stopping by, we inquired about the fees. It was not cheap! Adding this amount to our monthly budget was quite a big stretch for us. Then, there were registration fees and other things we needed to purchase to get her enrolled. It felt like such a big step of faith to have her begin pre-school.
Then along came daughter number two. And later our son. With each of our kids entering school, our budget had to stretch. So did our faith.
As they went through primary school and entered secondary school, it seemed like the financial needs grew and grew. Each time we had to go back to God, look carefully at our budget and pray hard. What did God want us to do?
When college and university entry approached, we looked back on those days when it was just a few dollars a month and thought, “Wow! How could we have felt that was hard. This costs a fortune!”
God has been good and He has provided. It hasn’t always been the very top schools. Many times we ended up going for public education rather than private because we couldn’t afford it. Looking back, though, we can say, “God has been amazingly faithful to us and our kids.”
In a few weeks our youngest son will graduate from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Aerospace Engineering. All three kids are now adults. They all have finished their education debt-free, and we too are debt-free. We give glory to God!
We made a choice not to go with options that would put them or us into the kind of debt that would become a heavy burden. God honored those choices with His provision and blessing.
“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.”
Romans 13:8
Principles for Financial Decision Making
1. Having faith doesn’t mean going into debt.
We can get confused about this. We know God has spoken to us about something, but the money is not being released. What do we do? Put it on our credit card? Borrow money because we believe it will come in soon – somehow?
In these situations, we need to go back to God. Are we sure we heard correctly from Him? Perhaps we have the timing wrong? Is there anything further He wants to say to us?
Reconsider your options and let this take you back into a place of intercession. Taking a loan or going into debt in these kinds of situations is generally not wise. Even if the fees are due now for your child’s admission. If you do decide to go that direction, make sure you have a payment plan in mind that you can afford. Or if you are using a credit card, be sure you can pay it off within a month or two. Long term credit card debt is likely to destroy your financial health. Avoid it!
2. When God speaks, His provision will be there. Seek confirmation and take steps of faith.
I’ve come to see provision as a confirmation that I heard from God correctly about something. Over and over again, His release of finances has shown me I was headed in the right direction. After you’ve prayed and heard from God about a schooling (or other) decision, ask your spiritual mentors and others to pray with you about it. Request their advice and input. This is especially true if you are taking a major financial risk.
3. Good parents provide, but they don’t give what they don’t have.
Our hearts long to bless our kids. That comes from God and is a reflection of His heart within us! But we can’t give what we don’t have to them. This doesn’t train them to be responsible adults nor is it a good model. There is much more to loving our children well than giving them material blessings, including an excellent education. Your love, affirmation, prayer, encouragement and belief in them goes a very long way. Many would say that is more important than getting them in the best schools.
4. Loving your kids, doesn’t mean you give them everything they want.
Sometime our children have dreams that are far beyond our means to help them with. Maybe they want to study in medical school. Or maybe they need expensive coaching to attain their goals. We can feel like “bad parents” if we can’t help with these needs.
Trust God to get your child to their destiny. In the process, He may want them to learn to work hard and save money themselves. It may take longer than they want it to. You don’t have to meet their every need to be a good parent.
God is God, You Are Not
Let God be your children’s God. You be their parent. Love them and provide for them, but also trust in God’s ability to help them. He can make a way for them. The Lord “owns the cattle on a thousand hills.” When your kids experience His provision for themselves, their own relationship with Him will grow stronger.
What was helpful to you from this article? What do you find hard about this issue? I’d love to hear from you in the comments or on the Missionary Life Facebook group.