Financial message from God

Yes, really! I got a financial message from God. lol

I think even the thriftiest of thrifies and the richest of the richies have had to re-evaluate their finances recently.

I hate to brag, (ok, ok, I'm just saying that to sound humble) but I'm pretty good with money. For one, I don't care very much about it. I don't need the most expensive frills to feel good, and I actually feel more enjoyment when I spend less for an item than the proverbial Jones. My husband jokingly said "Angel was doing the Dave Ramsey plan before she knew who Dave Ramsey was!" and it's true. I'm blessed with the ability to be logical when it comes to financial planning.

Do I always stick with the plan? Ugh.. you had to ask?

No, I do not. Although I am blessed to know what would be BEST to do with our money and which priorities SHOULD come first, I'm cursed with being a human, and giving in to this stupid thing I refer to as "self". I love to order an over priced pizza a few times a month to avoid cooking, and I won't even go into how many groc. meals I could buy for the same price. I opt to buy decor for my home over new windshield wipers for the van, and ignore a payment on an old medical bill so I can put a little more in savings for a future vacation. I KNOW! But I'm not going to hang my head about it for long before you because guess what? You give into "self" too. We ALL do!

So what exactly is my point here? Sometimes I'm so infatuated with self, and her ability to rationalize bad decisions that I don't even know I'm doing anything wrong.( IE: But the vase was only $3 and the wiper blades can wait cause it probably won't even rain until next pay day )
I've tuned out "conscience" (which I believe = Holy Spirit) and let "self" (whom has proven many times in the past to be A LIAR) take the best seat in the house of my mind! This realization happened to me the other day as I read a piece in Amy's blog. Imagine me, reading along happily until...

"...I started out wanting to write about a financial journey it has become necessary for us to begin. I read and read and read about these wonderful women saving money, (me too!) cooking from scratch, (how do they do it?) garage sale shopping, (this is my speciality) and overall being good stewards of what God has blessed them with and respecting their husbands by not wasting the money they work so hard to earn..." (wait..what did she just say?)

"...being good stewards of what God has blessed them with and respecting their husbands by not wasting the money they work so hard to earn." (yeah, that's what I thought she said)

THE GUILT! As a SAHM, this really rings true for me, and I've never thought of it that way before. Suddenly I realized my excessive pizza ordering, ignoring bills, etc.. wasn't just fun little extra rewards for being thrifty in other areas (which is what "self" had been telling me. I told you she was a liar) but instead, I was wasting the rewards of my husbands hard work. I miss him so much. The thought that I am missing him for so many hours so we can eat pizza 3 times a month suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks. "Self" can cover my eyes, but can't cover God's, and he was watching me the whole time.
EMBARRASSING!
But, then I realized he was helping me. Through Amy he highlighted something I needed to read. Something to help me change.
Now, don't get me wrong! We all need a little reward, day off, easy meal from time to time but I was doing it in excess to the point it was wasteful and wrong. So thank you Amy for your post and inspiration, and thank you God for your guidance. Message received. I hope to be a better steward to you and a more respectful wife. I can do so much better. Amen!