BUDGETING IS NOT AN UGLY WORD

Have you ever gone up to the ATM, type in your PIN only to have your card shot back to you with a message on the screen showing that you have no money in you account ? Do you look around to see if anyone else saw it? Do you try it again thinking surely they accessed the wrong account? However, you get the same glaring insufficient fund announcement. You walk away with think, “How did this happen?” Then you go home review you check register, yell at you husband accusing him for not giving you the receipts or you just realize that you just did not budget for the small expense you had to pay.
How many other things in our life is the same way? How many other things get out of control if we have not preplanned all the small details? We have to be able to budget all areas of our lives (with God’s direction) to stay balanced. This week in our First Place 4 Health meeting we discussed the concept of budget the various areas (mental, emotional, spiritual and physical). So just like with our money we must plan our food, our exercise, our time and even our emotions beforehand in order to stay in God’s plan for a balanced life. This balanced life will enable us to better service Him in our individual calling.
I am sure you all understand the idea of budgeting money but how do you budget food. One member discussed how dinner is her only family meal so she wants to enjoy it as much as possible. Therefore she may not eat as many carbs and/or proteins that are allowed for breakfast or lunch in order to eat more at that family time. This is not to say that she skips meals to have one large binge or that she does it every day. For example: If you know you are going out to eat Saturday night then you may eat a medium size brunch (instead of breakfast or lunch) then be able to eat more at that dinner.
This study of budgeting gets very interesting once we more it out all aspects of our lives. This week as I filled out my bible study each night I discover a part of my live that desperately needed to be budgeted - - MY TIME. Due to family illnesses, increased responsibilities at my job, additional commitments at church, personal hobbies and dreams I have allowed myself to over spend on these things and I did not have time left to spend with God. So even though I was completing my First Place bible study every night, reading and studying to teach bible classes and I was even praying but I was not giving God my attention. I had not budgeted my time to make that needed appointment of quiet time for me to hear from Him just for me. As a result, I have begun to budget each day’s time the night before by marking the time in my calendar. I have only done it for a couple of days and it is not easy to stick to but I can already see great perks from it. I have learned that when you turn back to God and His divine plan for balance then he will bless you in all areas.

What area (emotional, mental, spiritual, or physical) have you been overspending?


(PS – I feel I need to just give a short explanation on how you can over spend spiritually. If you over commit to doing things in God’s name without His calling or His power. Let me give you an example—If you are teaching Sunday School, keeping nursery, teaching on Sunday night and are on 3 or 4 different committees plus involved in everything else at the church just because you think you should be not because you feel God is calling you to do them. And as a result you have not time to spend at His feet in worship, praise and learning for yourself you may be spiritually over committed. I do not think we can over commit to God Himself and what He has called us to.)

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