BS: financial management

4/13/10 Parable of the Rich Fool

During my more than four years of functioning as New Accounts Clerk for Time Deposit, and beyond the customer service, paper works, cut-offs and investment-shuverloos, I have been fortunate to capture bits and pieces of God’s words and the bible through Michelle, my ever so patient, generous and faithful partner in crime. Tonight’s bible study brought to mind a sharing she once told me. It concerned us as being stewards of God’s creation. Slothful living is something not tolerable; well that’s putting it nicely.

We sometimes find it challenging to equate or relate the bible to today’s lifestyle or generation. And it is tougher when it relates to financial management. A few of the rather provocative questions asked during tonight’s bible verses were the following: (1.) at first thought, do you find the man foolish? (2.) Is it not that what he does common to us all? We work hard to earn enough to sustain ourselves and have a good retirement? (3.) Is God right in calling him a fool? (4) isn’t His teaching to us rather two ways? Not to store richess but to become generous, yet how do we become generous when we do not have anything to share?

Our bible study revolved around these learnings: God sees us beyond ourselves, beyond our actions and deeper within our “hearts”; our real intentions. To work hard and become rich per se is not a sin, we must bear in mind not to obsess over this richess and find security within these material things. Somehow in all these blessings we find ways to do good deeds, become generous. In the midst of all our financial success, we should find it in ourselves use it for His greater glory and for His intentions. In my opinion some of us are blessed financially while others are not so, in all these, God provides all that we need. What then is important? It is cultivating a life with God at the center, working hard to attain a greater life after our earthly life.

At the end of our rather short but meaningful sharing, achi Cathy, our group leader, shared a very inspirational story about a very successful and blessed man who later on decided to give up earthly possessions and heed God’s calling to minister and lived by faith. What’s so interesting bout this story is the fact that the calling was for both husband and wife who then had five children. And surprisingly, their children are living testimonies of God’s greatness, because all children are God-fearing, intelligent and achievers. When asked how they were able to do it, they simply can not say, they simply do not know.

This inspiring story led me to think of my family. With five girls in the family the youngest being only 6 then, my father had to depart our hometown to find a means to support us because of some rather depressing events in our, particularly his, life. For some time my mom who also had troubles of her own had to support us. I’d like to believe that because of God’s guidance and my parents constant prayers, my sisters and I are already graduates awaiting our own future in God’s time and hands.

I am not exactly a great person nor the best daughter that I wished and hoped I could have been and will be. I may have made crazy and bad decisions in my life, encountered rather difficult phases. The fact remains, I deeply appreciated my parents. I just want to acknowledge how much their sacrifice and faith has gotten us through life.

And while the last part of this blog does not fit its beginning (lol!) I am thankful for tonights learnings.