Every human being wants to be happy. It’s no coincidence that our holiday greeting are, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! We desire happiness because that’s how we’re made. Our Creator made us to mirror himself. He is happy and has placed that longing for happiness in us. He goes so far as to promise us happiness as we obey his words. I always questioned the founding fathers of our nation because they included ‘the pursuit of happiness’ as one of our rights. It seemed a bit superficial at best and hedonistic at worst. But the more I studied happiness, the more I recognized that God who is happy, wants us to have deep, lasting happiness even in hard circumstances. Of course, we can seek happiness on our own which ends in sadness. Or we can desire to please God and get happiness in the bargain.
“Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth…Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation! I will rejoice and delight in my people. And the sound of weeping and crying will be heard no more.” Isaiah 65:17-19
“Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit…” Luke 10:21
This is the first installment of a short series on how to be happier in 2018. This first segment deals with finances. I’m no expert! But I can share some personal thoughts that have helped me keep my equilibrium during life’s ups and downs. This isn’t a how to fix your money woes. Dave Ramsey is a great resource for that. So is Crown Ministries. This is just what I’ve learned the hard way about getting a better attitude about money.
This Christmas we didn’t have the money to buy Christmas presents for our family. I missed the joy of searching for the right present for each of our 6 children and their spouses and our 15 grandchildren. I felt embarrassed. How to tell your family that things are tight this year and not feel like you’re asking for pity? I had a hard time getting into the “spirit of the season” because giving is always the biggest part of Christmas for me. But I knew that foregoing buying was better than going into debt.
In October, we had been able to sell some leftover materials from when Husband built our little house. That money went directly to pay for tickets to fly to the Midwest to visit one of our daughters and her family. We got a killer deal on tickets and we gladly spent the entire amount of the sale of our leftovers in order to see our loved ones. Yes, we could have used the money to buy presents, but we’re so glad we made that trip instead. This demonstrates that sometimes there are good reasons for not having money to do things that are expected. We didn’t have Christmas money because we chose to spend time with grandchildren we hadn’t seen in almost two years. There is no shame in that kind of decision. None of our other grandchildren truly needed anything. We weren’t depriving them of anything necessary. And they were very good about getting a $5.00 gift instead of the usual $25. gift.
This all helped me see a bigger story. I’m often tempted to wish we could afford to buy this or that. And we could have, had we made different choices in life. Taking responsibility for our financial situation is very freeing. I have great comfort in the fact that we chose our financial situation. Yep. We’re where we are financially because we valued certain things more than money. Looking at our neighbors who are also retired, there is a big gap between their possessions and spending patterns and ours. We chose that Husband should retire as early as allowed. We valued his mental and physical health more than a bigger retirement income we could have had by his working several more years. We chose to sell our house on the East Coast and move to the West Coast in order to be part of our grandchildren’s lives. That meant a step down in our living situation because real estate there isn’t as valuable as real estate here. It also meant Husband spent a year building a house from scratch while we lived in an RV. But we don’t regret any of that. Our involvement in our grandchildren far outweighs the loss in house and land. We don’t have a big retirement savings account because we gave ten prime years of Husband’s career to serve the less privileged in a third world country. And I chose to stay home with our six children during their formative years instead of working outside the home. I refuse to be ashamed of our lack of funds because we invested in what was of greater value to us than money.
“…your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes…” I Peter 1:7
Recognizing that life choices impact income has made me less judgmental. Less judgmental of the poor and surprisingly, of the well-to-do. I can’t see what choices they had to make to get to where they are. 
Sometimes I think I know which choices put poor people where they are, i.e. drug or alcohol abuse drained their money and health. But I can’t see what contributed to those habits. They are likely fighting life experiences I never had to. They should be pitied, not condemned.
“God will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.” 2 Corinthians 9:10
The well-to-do have been entrusted with greater material wealth than I have, but what sacrifices and hard work went into their accumulation of wealth that I may not be aware of? Probably I wouldn’t have been willing to work that hard or give up that much to acquire what they have. And the great responsibility they carry for all they have been made stewards of would crush me. Yet I’m not off the hook. I am responsible for using what resources I do have for the benefit of others. The sobering thing is that although I have little as far as money goes, I still have responsibility for the money we do have. Almost all Americans have far more than most of the world. And part of that enviable position is that we have greater responsibility for how we use our wealth. Our family gives monthly to our church so it can help the poor, the hurting, the lonely. We also give to a fund to help the families of those in China imprisoned for their faith. The combined funds of the group can leverage far more than I could individually. And there is oversight, accountability, and the wisdom of a group of leaders to keep the funds going where they should.
Take responsibility for your financial state
Don’t be ashamed if good choices cost you financially
Don’t judge others by their finances or lack thereof