On Money and Your Relationship

“Don’t wait ‘til you’re thirsty to dig a well”

Recently I have been doing a study on God’s plan for marriage and whilst there have been many interesting areas of discovery; by far the greatest insight I have gleaned is that Daniel and I both came into this marriage from completely different perspectives.

It has been proven that when children leave home, get married start a family etc. They assume (maybe not consciously, but certainly on a subconscious level) that things will be like they were for them when they were growing up, that all families operate the same way. This creates areas of potential conflict …or growth.

For example: how you handle money, who pays the bills, how much and on what do you spend, how much you save, how much you give away, what responsibilities are you expected to carry, who empties the bin, cleans the toilet, does the laundry, gets up to the baby, disciplines the children, does the shopping… etc.

We discussed in our study group how it’s a process of taking two different “cultures” (upbringings) and blending them together to make our own “culture”. One in which we are an entity unto ourselves, answerable to God, but set apart from our families. We had to find our OWN way. Our parents provided us with a basis on which to build. Once we realised our differences and our eyes were opened to the other’s perspective it was just a matter of choosing to move forward together.

It’s the same with money!

You need to be open to other perspectives and possibilities and then choose to implement what you learn. I’m sure you will glean your own insights, and build on your own experiences. Whether that is in the area of living within your means, eliminating debt, controlling your spending or simply to prioritise and practice a little delayed gratification!

There are 2350 verses in the Bible about money, God thinks it’s worth learning how to budget too!

Money, the way it is handled can be a huge area of conflict in relationships; we need to figure this stuff out today! God Bless you on your journey.