Why do you want to do this?

This is a very important question to answer before looking at personal finance or anything else.

Why do you want to manage money well?

To make more money.

“Meh”. That’s a result, not a purpose. That would never convince me to work through a hard night when I didn’t feel like it.

Why does it matter to you?

I really want a car, so people will like me.

Why don’t you try doing nice things for people instead? It has a better track record. Sure. Fancy cars are cool, but people don’t care as much as you might think. My friends thought my ’98 Corolla was cool when it was new-to-me a few months ago. Today, it is what it always was — just a tool. It gets me from point A to point B reliably. That is what matters. I am not preaching against owning a nice car. If you have the money, can handle the depreciation and it isn’t taking away from a higher priority, buy it. But don’t buy it so that people might like you better. It’s not worth playing the comparison game. You can never win. At the end of the day, it’s your choice. That’s the beauty of personal finance, YOU get to decide what YOU want to do.

So, why do you care?

Here are three excellent answers:

#1: I believe that all I have belongs to God (Ps. 24:1), and it is my responsibility to manage His money well as He would have me do. (I believe this is the best answer for any Christian)

or

#2: I want to stay home with my kids.

or

#3: I don’t want my kids to go through the same pain I did.

I read a story about Russ and Joy. They had a dream that they wanted to reach for. They wanted to travel the world to help people who are hurting. Russ and Joy made a plan and followed through. They were able to live their dream and to change the world for the better.

A lot of people are depressed about finances. They need hope. Managing money God’s way brings hope, even if you don’t believe the same as I do. You don’t just wake up and decide “I want to do a budget.” (unless you are a nerd). Most people need a dream they want to accomplish. Something worth fighting for. What’s your dream? Do you want to spend more time with family? Stay home with your kids? Travel the world? What’s your dream?

Please take a minute to answer that question for yourself. It cannot be anyone else’s dream, it has to be yours.

It does not matter how much we know, if we don’t care. We need a purpose that is big enough, deep enough and wide enough to carry us through the long days and hard nights. To pull us through when we just, don’t, feel like it. Once we have our WHY, we can start to apply Biblical principles to make a positive impact on our lives. Stay tuned to my blog if you would like to learn with me in the months to come.