One of the things I try to teach my children is how to have moderation in all things. This is includes a multitude of things, like consumption of junk food but also other things like consumption of anything. I don't want my kids to think they need everything, we don't often buy things they want at the store, because we don't we need to consume so much. I'm trying to teach my son its not about the money. In away its part of a green environmental practice, whether it is new and has been created using fossil fuels or used, we just don't need so much. I would like my kids to be raised humble not gimme gimme, I need, I need. We have so much stuff we often get rid of perfectly good things, because we don't have room. I like shiny things more than the next girl, but come on how many things do we think we need, and how much do we really just want. I'm a terrible example, so I'm trying to learn with my kids. We can consume so much in this world right now, it is not sustainable as a populous, and not healthy as an individuals. We can pretty much buy anything we want, even if we don't have the money there is still plenty of credit available. I like to hope if I teach my children they don't need every thing they see as clothes, food, and toys then it will give them the self control needed to be wise stewards of their future money. The man who recently preformed my brother's marriage mentioned there is always someone who will have more money than you don't get involved in that rat race. How true no one ever has enough money, expensive go up with every raise. So we must learn to focus on what is important, and trust that we have sufficient for our needs.
I heard a story at a church meeting one time, I think it was when I was living in our 20s Bungalow, but I have no idea who shared it or what meeting it was in. This story is the whole point of the post, the person I want to be. The story, like all good stories was about a boy who lived on the west side (that is the well to do side of the valley) who was dating a girl from the east side (the poor side), his parents were not too fond of the girl, since she was from the East side. But the boy kept dating her, one day he was at her house, and her father went to grab something off the fridge and a piece of paper fluttered to the ground in front of the boyfriend. The boy picked it up and handed it to his girlfriend's father, he didn't mean to look at it, but he did on accident, it was the family's fast offering check. The boy couldn't believe it, he knew his own father from the west side had never written such a generous check. This was a true story, but I have no idea the citation. It has stuck with me, I would like to emulate this man from the East side. Not necessarily leave my tithing checks out. But I live modestly, and give generous and I'll add have a fat stack of savings. I would like my children to know moderation in all things, grow up modestly and have the skills in life to provide for themselves once they are adults. That was one of the happiest days in life the day I knew my husband and I were not financially depend on anyone but ourselves. Not to sound ungrateful, I appreciate all the help I've been given in life, but I would like my children to feel worthy pride when they one day know that they and their spouse pay all their own bills, and have the means to make their ends meet. That is satisfaction.
That being said, I don't know if I will live on the respective east side to where I am living. I would like my children to grow up in a safe neighborhood with decent schools, but I also don't need the fattest house on the hill. Honestly if it was 80 years ago, I would prefer a house on the east side, but you know I would like not to live next to a drug dealer and not send my kids to a failing school. That is one thing actually worries me will my children learn humility in life in a nice school district? Or will they feel slighted and picked on? So what if they do, I lived near a lot of kids that had a lot more stuff than me, sometimes I felt bad, but as an adult, I feel gratitude towards my parents for not raising me that way. Most of the people with decent financial sense did not say my dad makes so much money, but instead were faced with disbelieve when they found out just what their parent's take home was. My husband had a friend who's father was extremely successful, like so successful you could googled his dad's salary. When one of my friends found out that my husband's friend worked part time at a gas station she was disgusted, and you know that was part of the reason his dad was probably successful, he knew eating from a silver platter especially bought on credit doesn't help anyone. So you may wonder what this post has to do about tithing, but it has everything to do, tithing, and especially generous fast offerings, humble me just down to earth, and remind me how much I have been blessed and remind me moderation in all things. Anytime I feel poor or don't think we have enough to make ends meet, I write out of tithing check with my husband, it provides me with perspective.
(All things considering I wanted to write this post for weeks, but I don't really want to post it on my public blog. I just want it for my own memoirs, I need to write down my goals, so I don't get involved in the rat race.)
One last note, my husband and I both agree we would rather appear the poorest in the neighborhood than the richest)
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