Photo credit Travis Essinger on Unsplash.com

Are you familiar with the Bible verse John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”? I am here to tell you that the thief (Satan) loves it when you have yourself in a tight financial situation, because he knows it can steal your peace, kill your dreams, and destroy things like your marriage. If you have been on the paycheck to paycheck hamster wheel for a while, you may already know what I’m talking about.

Living paycheck to paycheck means you have no separate savings balance that would be enough to carry you through emergency or unanticipated needs – this means emergencies are ACTUALLY emergencies! Whether it was mostly bad decisions that got you there, unforeseeable life circumstances, or a little bit of both, many people arrive at the place of having no extra income to tuck away. You have just enough to get the necessities done – and sometimes have to be creative to even achieve that.

In case you haven’t been previously convinced that things need to change or you haven’t been motivated enough to do so, I’d like to share this with you in the hopes you will intentionally work with God to change your course now so you can “have life, and have it to the full.”

Five things living paycheck to paycheck steals from your life –

1. It steals enjoyment from your time.

While other families you know are planning a fun trip to the lake for a long weekend, taking in a family movie at the local theatre or purchasing bikes to enjoy the local bike path together, you are trying to figure out how to stretch your groceries to get through the week and how you are going to come up with the required fees and clothing for your son’s sports program. Since you are on the paycheck to paycheck plan and have nothing saved in reserves, this causes your time to be filled with stress and anxiety over how you will achieve staying in the black instead of enjoying the things your family is getting to do together. And trying to have an attitude of optimism in these circumstances is also draining…which steals enjoyment from your time!

2. It steals time from your weeks.

…because next week’s check can’t come quick enough. And waiting so anxiously for your next set of funds reduces a peaceful week of wishing time to slow down as you take in the joy of God’s blessings to a tense block of rushed days as you wait for the relief of seeing your funds hit the bank. If you’ve been in a tight financial situation for a while, it may seem like you’ve lost a chunk of your life…YOU HAVE! Your time has been stolen away by worry.

3. It steals your ability or desire to serve in forms of ministry.

The lead pastor of my previous church once told our congregation how grateful he was that he was debt-free with money saved in the bank when he was asked to lead a new, small congregation many years ago. He said if he hadn’t had enough money put aside to support his family, he’s certain he would have closed the door on what would prove to be the greatest opportunity God had ever given him. His desire to say “yes” to God by taking on that new church would have been smothered, and his ability to start reaching hundreds for Christ would have been stalled. All because of money. What ministry have you longed to be involved in but turned away from due to lack of funds? What service work have you had to halt because of limited resources? Did you want to sponsor a child at Christmas but couldn’t shift it into your budget?

4. It steals health from your relationships.

Conflict with your spouse since there’s no money to eat out with friends or cover babysitting for a cheap date night, conflict with your in-laws because you can’t afford to travel there for the holidays, conflict with your kids because there’s no fun spring break travel like other families they know…simply put, tight finances steal from your relationships. Also, if you are embarrassed about your money situation, you may isolate yourself from people you once reached out to. And when you’re stressed about keeping your family in the black, this seems to weave it’s ugly way through your relational time with close family members. Relationships can’t be healthy if they’re marred by irritability and stress.

5. It steals away your dreams for the future.

Family trips to Disney World, the Grand Canyon, or Washington D.C., purchasing that small farm with goats and chickens for your grandkids, carrying out a deep-rooted passion by starting your own business or ministry, saving for your kid’s college, and how about saving for retirement? What can you add to this list of longings that likely can’t come to fruition if you are stuck living paycheck to paycheck? When you are able to build your savings and start to loosen your budget a bit, it’s easier to start moving your thoughts from what you dream for the future to actually formulating a plan to reach that goal. In the words of Dave Ramsey, “A goal without a plan is just a dream.” And that wonderful dream you have might not even be allowed to visit your consciousness while you are scraping money together for the credit card bill or latest home repair. That dream has been STOLEN.

So now is the time to ask yourself, “What changes can I start making RIGHT NOW to take back MY enjoyment, MY time, MY ministry, MY relationships, and MY DREAMS so I can live the life God has given me to the fullest?