“I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” – Psalm 119:16
In the mid 1990s, Kevin Bauman began photographing abandoned houses in his hometown of Detroit. It was a creative outlet, a way to express his amazement and concern that “a once great city could find itself in such great distress.” Viewing his online collection, 100 Abandoned Houses, you can see hints of many of the homes’ former glory. You can see what they were made to be. And you can’t help but wonder, what went wrong?
On the outside, our financial homes may not look as bad as the houses in Bauman’s pictures, but they’ve become overgrown with stress, and weakened by too little savings and too much debt. This isn’t how God intended us to live.
To be sure, the recession isn’t doing us any favors. But is the recession completely to blame for any personal financial pain we’re feeling? Or could it be that the recession is simply revealing some of our own neglect?
One of the opportunities of this recession is to position ourselves to be better able to handle economic downturns to come. To do so, we would be well advised to consider any ways that we may have neglected God’s teaching on money. Are we trusting in God’s provision? Giving generously? Saving adequately? Spending according to a plan? Avoiding the bondage of debt? These are essential steps in building and maintaining financial homes that will stand strong.
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