Getting Good With MoneyНамуна

Shortly after our revelation about how badly things were going for our family, I started walking dogs in a townhome community not too far from our home. That meant I was not only walking five or more dogs on a given afternoon, but I was also picking up their poop. . . .

I walked dogs while pregnant and chasing my toddler in the Georgia heat! I share this because I absolutely hated that job. Some of the dogs were wonderful and I loved them. But others were not so great and had to be walked separately. I would have to walk dogs in batches, which took up a large part of my afternoon, and, of course, it’s always hotter in the middle of day than in the morning. There were days when every part of me wanted to give up. I didn’t want to load up my fussy kids who hated their car seats and drive the half a mile to that little townhome community to walk all those dogs and pick up all that poop. But I did. I showed up and went to work.

The Proverbs 31 woman gets talked about a lot in Christian circles. In fact, sometimes that woman can intimidate us moms just trying to keep our heads above the water. But I don’t believe she was some mystical do-it-all Wonder Woman. Instead, I think she was a woman who was not afraid to do what needed to be done for her family. Proverbs 31:18 says: “She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.” I don’t believe this means she never sleeps. Instead, I think it means that her family has the money to pay for the oil to keep that lamp lit all night long, and she contributes to her family’s income. Now, I’m not a theologian, so maybe I’m completely wrong here. But I do believe that when we are willing to do what it takes for our families, we will reap the reward of that labor.

Prayer

Lord, please give me strength to keep working when I feel like giving up. Please help me do what it takes to be financially healthy. Amen.