If you went to the doctor and were told that your health was substandard and only getting worse, what would you do? Would you start eating a healthier diet? Exercise? Try stress-reduction techniques? Or would you just continue in your current routine, hoping that there’ll be a magic pill that you can take to make everything better?
Of course laziness may be easier, but you’d suffer along the way. Clearly if your physical health is failing you, you’ve got at least some unpleasant physical symptoms. Medication seems like an easy answer, but what are the side effects? Could it cause other health problems? Is it addictive? If exercise and a healthy diet could fix the problem, wouldn’t that be safer than regularly ingesting potentially dangerous medication that may or may not work for you?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not telling you not to take “necessary” medication. I’m just stating that if healthy lifestyle habits are a safer option, they’d probably be the more desirable choice.
Similarly to your physical health, you can get a “financial check up”, too. You can even do it yourself. Just take the time to look, really look, at your finances – your budget, your checkbook register, investments, savings, bank statement, retirement account, credit card statement, and any other financial records you may have. What do they tell you about your financial health?
Like your physical health, your financial health has symptoms, too. Debt, being unable to afford necessary purchases, not knowing where your money went, insufficient savings, and possibly being hounded by bill collectors and debt-consolidation services are all symptoms of poor financial health, and there are many other possible symptoms, too. A balanced budget, a balanced checkbook, not having to worry about whether or not you can afford to pay your bills, and being debt-free, amongst others, are symptoms of good financial health.
If you have poor financial health, what are you going to do about it? Will you continue in your current routine and just hope that Publisher’s Clearinghouse shows up on your doorstep with a big fat check to make everything better, or will you be proactive and take control of your finances? Just a tip, but playing the lottery or a sweepstakes is generally not regarded as sound investing.
If you have poor financial health, will you just sit back and wait for your electricity to be turned off, vehicle to be repossessed, and home foreclosed? Or will you start a budget, balance your checkbook, a live within your means? The choice is yours. I’m not saying you’ll never struggle or that you’ll magically be able to afford everything you want to buy, but if you’re in good financial health, you’ll be controlling your finances, they won’t be controlling you.
If you have good financial health, what are you going to do to make sure you stay that way? Are you going to keep budgeting, plan for emergencies, and save for retirement? Or are you going to get complacent and quit budgeting, dip into your savings, and start buying things you realistically can’t afford?
I encourage you, if haven’t already, to take control of your finances, don’t be complacent, give yourself regular financial “check ups”, and stay in control. If you’ve got poor financial health, you can take steps to change that. Be proactive. Take control of your finances. You can do it! If you need help, ask for it. Just remember: it is possible! How do I know? 2 ways:
1. By experience - I’ve been in poor financial health.
2. Matthew 19:26 - With God, all things are possible.
Article by Randi Millward
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