"Family Matters"
By Paul Kendall

Gotta Have A Budget

Did you ever stop and think that when you make agreements to buy things on credit – that some of the money in your bank account doesn’t actually belong to you… it belongs to them.  You may say “No.. Its MY MONEY” but it was you that agreed to give it to them in exchange for the thing you so badly wanted. But hey - it’s the American way; “Buy now - pay later!”  Well, consider another “American way”; families are torn apart by financial devastation every day.  

According to Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts more than 1.6 million Americans declared personal bankruptcy in 2003. It was the largest number of bankruptcies in U.S. history and up 98% from 1994. Debt is a bottomless pit that all of us are vulnerable to fall in to.

In the early years of our marriage, my wife and I waved credit cards around like magic wands. It didn’t really matter how much something cost - what mattered was the monthly payment! If we could get it for a dollar down and a dollar a day? We’d take it home! The end result was such financial devastation that we couldn’t afford to pay our own rent. We hated to answer the phone for fear of creditors and our whole family suffered. We were angry at everybody; the landlord, the car finance company, the cable company, power company, phone company They were “the enemy” and they were all out to get us!

It’s amazing the revelation you get when you’re sitting in the dark with no car, no cable and no phone.  We realized that our mess was no one’s fault but our own. So, we moved into a little two-bedroom duplex, stopped spending on anything but the bare necessities and followed a well established budget. Our only budget before was “write the check and we’ll figure it out later!” But this new budget allowed us to govern our spending proportionately to our income. It wasn’t easy but it worked. Within two years, we paid off everything and saved up $5,000 to buy our home. Having money in the bank made me feel physically better. That twenty pound weight was lifted from my chest. 

Proverbs 24:3 “Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches.” 

This world operates on a financial system that affects us all regardless of race, nationality or religion. But God’s wisdom will help you navigate your way from debt to financial stability. Build your house with wisdom. You can get started by creating a sound budget and asking God to help you work your plan.

So, give the landlord and the utility companies a break and admit "We have found the enemy and they are us!"

That's Family Matters... I'm Paul Kendall.

Paul Kendall is the host of the popular syndicated radio program "Family Matters" and author of a new book by the same name. Radio programs, family resources and much more are available at www.KendallFamilyNetwork.com.