and find out where you rank in terms of wealth in the world. it will blow your mind. i know i could not fathom that we are apart of the top 1% wealthiest people in the world. it shocked me because money is so tight, tightest it has been in our 11 years of marriage. We are down to one vehicle(only 8% of the world’s population even owns a car) and live many months paycheck to paycheck anticipating how God will provide for our needs. So when my heart begins to long for unnecessary things i like to remind myself how loaded i am and how much i already have. The basics were take for granted are not basics for much of the world. As Americans we have such a warped view of wealth, constantly wanting more and believing the lie that what we have is not good enough or shiny enough. One of my favorite quotations comes from a book that i pray changes my life and the way i view life. “If you don’t feel rich, it’s because you are comparing yourself to people who have more than you do- those living above even the 99th percentile of global wealth. It’s also because we tend to gauge whether or not we are wealthy based on the things we don’t have. ” from The Hole in Our Gospel. I want to be able to say with Paul in Phillipians 4:11-12, ” I am not saying this because I am in need, for i have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. i know what it is to be in need, and i know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” I have asked the Lord, ” this time of little money is just a season, right??” Not because i want to buy more stuff but i want to have money to vacation, take trips and make memories. my wise mother in law pointed out that it could be a long season. my human heart so wants it to be a short one. but who is to say it is a season. The Lord could have it be this way for the rest of our lives. and then so i need to ask myself, i am okay with that? i want to be content with what i have. and i feel like i am getting closer. =) I feel like i have learned so much during this season. I have gained such a different perspective. I would not trade this time for anything because i have learned so much.

WHAT I HAVE GAINED(LEARNED) FROM THIS SEASON OF LESS MONEY:

• my happiness is not measured by my bank account
• i don’t need as much as i think
• the more i shop the more i accumulate(it used to be a habit to just walk the aisles of biglots or 99 cents store, my favorite stores ever, looking for good deals, things i thought i needed. it was easy to drop 50 bucks on stuff. i don’t do this anymore, not because i am so self controlled but because it is silly to shop without money. but i hope i shop less when i do have more expendable money.
• the more i shop the more my heart longs for things. this is true for my kids too. so avoid shopping with them, even grocery shopping. it is good to shop less
• friday family fun nights are now a tradition and they don’t need to cost a lot. our kids just want our attention and love
• learned to be more resourceful and creative. i needed curtains to darken Isaiah’s room so i went to the thrift store to look for fabric. i am not a seamstress at all. but i found this sticky tape to iron a hem. i found perfect fabric and curtain rods.
• we waste a lot less food. i try to use stuff up in fridge and cupboards before shopping. lots more leftovers too
• trying more to develop a heart of thanks in my kids and myself. regularly talk about what we are thankful for
• letting my kids know that many kids don’t have the basics like we do(clean water, shoes, clothes, heating, air conditioning, floors in their home, walls and a roof, food to eat every day, and to eat several times a day, doctor/medical, warm water to bathe, toys, books, schooling, freedom to learn about Jesus and to worship him, our own copy of the Bible, and so much more)
• i really want to continue to simplify and keep giving away and have less. I want the next time we move to have a smaller moving truck