The Blessings of Poverty: (And How to Survive It)

By Diane Boone

To being with, please understand that I do realize how paradoxical the title of this work may seem. In fact, I can hear the astonished question you may be asking just now: Povertya blessing! How can that be? Well, lets go to the dictionary and see if the definition of the word blessing can help answer that question. In Websters New Collegiate Dictionary we find the following entry next to the word blessing: a thing conducive to happiness or wellbeing. Most of us are so focused on the happiness part of the definition that we only see Gods hand of blessing when were happy; we forget that not everything conducive to our wellbeing makes us feel happy. Just as a loving parent will bless their child with both comforts and discipline, so God blesses us with both comforts and challenges. As I look at the lives of my family and myself, I can see how God has strengthened our walk with Him through our financial struggles. Because of this fact, I say with assurance that financial struggles can be used of the Lord to truly bless us.
Next, I want to ask you to take my use of the word poverty with the proverbial grain of salt, as my intent is to use the term in a very tongue in cheek manner. Ive actually heard of individuals complaining because they have to choose between landscaping their newly built home or taking a second vacation this year; or lamenting the fact that times are so hard they have to cut their annual vacation to Hawaii from the usual four weeks to only two weeks. The truth is many, many people sharing our world would be ecstatic to have the standard of living that most of us are enjoying. So, viewed from their perspective, wouldnt it seem that if we have a roof over our heads, proper clothing to wear and eat three meals a day were doing pretty well for ourselves?
Its also true that God has spread His children throughout the world in different cultures, with different gifts and with different incomes. There is nothing wrong with having a comfortable income or owning lovely things. And there is certainly nothing wrong with working hard to provide for your family. In fact, many Godly people mentioned in scripture had a great deal of wealth: Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Job, King David and Joseph of Arimathia are just a few that spring to mind. There are also many Godly people mentioned in scripture who had very little wealth: Mary & Joseph, the beggar (Lazarus), the widow with her two mites, and our Lord, Himself. There is nothing inherently more spiritual with one state or the other. Those with wealth need to thank God most sincerely for what they do have and to beware of falling into the trap of pride (look at me and how successful Ive been!). And its been very interesting for me to realize that those with modest incomes also need to thank God most sincerely for what they do have and to beware of falling into the trap of pride (look at me - getting along on a small income must somehow make me more spiritual than the wealthy!).
Did you know that when the Lord was on earth one of His most frequent topics of discussion was money? He never condemned wealth, He condemned the preoccupation with wealth and the belief that a persons worth or security comes from amassing huge amounts of wealth. Regardless of whether we have a large amount of this worlds goods or a small amount, it all belongs to God. We need to use whatever we do have to further Gods kingdom and honor Him by caring for our families and reaching out to those in need. And all of us need to embrace the truths found in Matthew 6:25-34 and find our security in the wonderful care of our loving Heavenly Father.
I, myself, was raised in a Christian home by parents who were quite well off financially. I just never realized it until I was almost finished with high school. Im sure this is partly because Im not a very visual person, so I tended not to notice or compare things as much as others. But I really think that it wa

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 25, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483661407

Diane Boone

Diane is a graduate of the Moody Bible Institute and earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Grand Rapids Baptist College (now Cornerstone University). After serving several years as an adjunct music instructor for two Christian colleges, she devoted her time to making a home for her family – husband, Jeff; son, Joshua; and daughters, Catherine and Christina. After many years of financial struggles, Diane was surprised (and then grateful) to learn how many blessings her family had enjoyed as a direct result of those struggles. This work is designed to encourage us all to trust God for our needs, and then to use and share His provision responsibly.

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CONTENTS

A Few Notes From The Heart

PART I

The Blessings

Proper Perspective

An Attitude Of Gratitude

Release From Responsibility

The Incentive To Be Inventive

Sacred Self-Reliance

A Spirit Of Sensitivity

An Honorable Humbling

Divine Direction

A Surety To Your Security

Miraculous Musings

PART II

The How To

The Three Necessities

Food

Clothing

Shelter

Random Thoughts

Coping With Jealousy

Handling Your Finances

PART III

To Be Employed Or Not To Be Employed? (Is That Really The Question?)

The Real Question

Final Notes

Bibliography

Dedicated with much love to my parents,

Maxine and Allen Cumings

A FEW NOTES FROM THE HEART

To begin with, please understand that I do realize how paradoxical the title of this work may seem. In fact, I can hear the astonished question you may be asking just now: Poverty… a blessing! How can that be? Well, let’s go to the dictionary and see if the definition of the word blessing can help answer that question. In Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary we find the following entry next to the word blessing: a thing conducive to happiness or wellbeing. Most of us are so focused on the happiness part of the definition that we only see God’s hand of blessing when we’re happy; we forget that not everything conducive to our wellbeing makes us feel happy. Just as a loving parent will bless their child with both comforts and discipline, so God blesses us with both comforts and challenges. As I look at the lives of my family and myself, I can see how God has strengthened our walk with Him through our financial struggles. Because of this fact, I say with assurance that financial struggles can be used of the Lord to truly bless us.

Next, I want to ask you to take my use of the word poverty with the proverbial grain of salt, as my intent is to use the term in a very tongue in cheek manner. I’ve actually heard of individuals complaining because they have to choose between landscaping their newly built home or taking a second vacation this year; or lamenting the fact that times are so hard they have to cut their annual vacation to Hawaii from the usual four weeks to only two weeks. The truth is many, many people sharing our world would be ecstatic to have the standard of living that most of us are enjoying. So, viewed from their perspective, wouldn’t it seem that if we have a roof over our heads, proper clothing to wear and eat three meals a day we’re doing pretty well for ourselves?

It’s also true that God has spread His children throughout the world in different cultures, with different gifts and with different incomes. There is nothing wrong with having a comfortable income or owning lovely things. And there is certainly nothing wrong with working hard to provide for your family. In fact, many Godly people mentioned in scripture had a great deal of wealth: Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Job, King David and Joseph of Arimathia are just a few that spring to mind. There are also many Godly people mentioned in scripture who had very little wealth: Mary & Joseph, the beggar (Lazarus), the widow with her two mites, and our Lord, Himself. There is nothing inherently more spiritual with one state or the other. Those with wealth need to thank God most sincerely for what they do have and to beware of falling into the trap of pride (look at me and how successful I’ve been!). And it’s been very interesting for me to realize that those with modest incomes also need to thank God most sincerely for what they do have and to beware of falling into the trap of pride (look at me—getting along on a small income must somehow make me more spiritual than the wealthy!).

Did you know that when the Lord was on earth one of His most frequent topics of discussion was money? He never condemned wealth, He condemned the preoccupation with wealth and the belief that a person’s worth or security comes from amassing huge amounts of wealth. Regardless of whether we have a large amount of this world’s goods or a small amount, it all belongs to God. We need to use whatever we do have to further God’s kingdom and honor Him by caring for our families and reaching out to those in need. And all of us need to embrace the truths found in Matthew 6:25-34 and find our security in the wonderful care of our loving Heavenly Father.

I, myself, was raised in a Christian home by parents who were quite well off financially. I just never realized it until I was almost finished with high school. I’m sure this is partly because I’m not a very visual person, so I tended not to notice or compare things as much as others. But I really think that it was mostly because money was never what my parents valued most in this world. They were both hard workers—mom as a homemaker and dad as a small business owner—who just wanted to do well in their chosen fields to honor the Lord. As God prospered them they were always very generous with our church and with those in need. It would never have occurred to them to look down on others who weren’t as successful financially because they knew, and taught us, that money is only a means to an end; if you have it, use it for God’s glory, if you don’t have it, trust God and watch Him provide. I’ve always believed that if my parents lost all their worldly goods it would be hard for them, but not devastating. This belief was certainly justified, because my parents did indeed go through a difficult time and lost much of their wealth. Their faith in God was not shaken (it wasn’t even jiggled!) and God has always provided for them. I am so grateful for such an upbringing because it’s been a great foundation and a great preparation for me.

My personal experience in dealing with a limited income began when I married a man who was still a college student. Then it intensified when we made the choice that I would focus on being home to raise our firstborn, Joshua. I greatly reduced my hours of teaching as a college music instructor; first to only 1 day and then 1 ½ days a week. We were blessed with twin daughters, Catherine and Christina, when Joshua was only 22 months old, and at that point, I quit the teaching position altogether. Even though my focus has continually been directed towards our family and home since that time, I have had a few occasions to work outside the home (when the children were older). However, we decided that I would only take advantage of those occasions which were part-time and allowed me to keep our family my first priority. We have never regretted our choice, even though it’s often been a hard road to travel. So you see my goal isn’t to glorify one financial state over another. Rather, my goal is to support and encourage those women who have made this same decision (to try and live more simply so they can focus on their families’ needs first), and to let women who are considering such a choice know that they don’t need to be afraid of poverty. It is possible to get by in this society on a less than average income, and to find great blessings along the way.

PART I

THE BLESSINGS

PROPER PERSPECTIVE

Have you ever had one of those weeks? You know… the kind of week in which everything seems to go wrong; the kind of week that brings some hurtful experience each and every day; the kind of week that makes you begin to dread getting up in the morning for fear of what’s going to happen next. Well, I was sure smack dab in the middle of such a week! It’s not important to go into minute detail, so briefly put here’s how the week went. Monday during a music rehearsal it was suggested that I be replaced as the group’s accompanist for a special upcoming performance (ouch!—guess the director thinks I’m just a second rate accompanist). Tuesday Catherine had an appointment at our local Child Development & Rehabilitation Center for a special annual evaluation to track her progress (she has a mild case of cerebral palsy). These visits are often very emotional for parents. First you grieve over the fact that your child has to deal with special issues, then you feel guilty about the grieving because you see other children whose disabilities are so much more severe than the ones with which you’re dealing. During the final part of our visit we were paired up with a psychologist who was incredibly rude and impatient with Catherine. And at the end of the evaluation she emphatically told us what a mistake it would be if we would continue to home school Catherine beyond her present preschool program (what mother isn’t hurt when her parenting skills and choices are questioned?). Wednesday I confided in a friend that I was considering dropping out of our church choir because I felt that it was overloading my already frantic schedule as a new home school mom. This friend then began to question our reasons for home schooling. What hurt most about her comments was knowing that if I had dared question any of her parenting decisions she would have been grievously offended (so now I have second rate opinions!). By Thursday I was having a perfect little pity party for myself, but still was looking forward to getting a new haircut that afternoon. Unfortunately I didn’t communicate well with my stylist and ended up with a haircut I really didn’t like. As I got in the car to drive home, I just burst into tears. It was all too much. I went step by step through my week with the Lord and told Him how hurt I was. When I finally settled down, I sensed the Lord asking me a question. It went something like this. Diane, when it’s time for you to stand before Me in heaven, will any of this matter? I had to admit, No, Lord, it won’t. Well, then, the Lord responded, it just doesn’t matter.

What does any of this have to do with the blessings of poverty you may ask. Well, the question the Lord asked me that day has truly become a guiding force for me. When I want to know how to choose between priorities, or how frustrated I should get when I believe someone has mistreated me, or when I’m feeling good and sorry for myself because I see our friends buying new furniture or taking exotic vacations that we could never afford, I ask myself, Will this truly matter when I stand before God? The honest answer is a powerful measure and guide.

One thing that I’ve experienced while living on a limited income, is the heightened realization that this world is not our home. If our earthly experience is all ease and comfort where is the appeal of Heaven? And if Heaven holds little appeal to us, how Godly is our mindset? In our affluent society, it is so easy to get caught up in the wrong perspective. This holds true for the church as well. My brother once made an interesting observation. He pointed out that many of the hymns and gospel songs from the past, up until about the mid-1900’s, talk about Heaven, or at least refer to Heaven in the last stanza. Now think about the choruses we sing in the church of today. Many of the lyrics have nothing to say about heaven, but are designed to whip us up into a frenzy of good feelings about how good God is to us. Of course, not all contemporary music is this way and there are certainly many wonderful choruses available for our use today, but I feel my brother’s point is well taken. Do we have a proper perspective? Heaven is the believer’s ultimate destination. Do we live as if this is true? Do we choose our lifestyle as if this is true? Do we govern our thoughts as if this is true? Is our faith a tool to help us feel good about ourselves in the here and now, or is our faith a tool to help us bring glory to God while we prepare for heaven, sharing His love with as many of our family and friends as possible?

You’ve heard the old saying, ‘He couldn’t see the forest for the trees,’ haven’t you? Well, I wonder if all our material possessions sometimes prevent us from seeing what’s really important from God’s perspective, just as I had allowed the few petty disappointments of that difficult week to blind me to what truly mattered. All of the little doodads and whatnots and gizmos that seem so important and valuable to us; could it be that they’re more a ball and chain to keep us tied to this world and its value system? Do you remember that music group I mentioned in the opening paragraph? Well, here are some lyrics from a song we used to sing. I found them truly inspiring:

(Christ is speaking)

Lean on Me, when you have no strength to stand

When you feel you’re going under, hold tighter to My hand

Lean on Me when your heart begins to bleed

When you come to the place that I’m all you have,

then you’ll find I’m all you need.

Think about it.

AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

God has often put me through what I like to call stretching times. I’m certain that this isn’t such a unique experience, but that God will on occasion ask more from us than we feel we can give. It’s helpful to think of these times as God’s way of showing us that, as the apostle Paul said, My (God’s) grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness (II Corinthians 12:9) I remember an academic year which certainly exemplified this principle for me. In addition to teaching two history courses for our children’s academy, I was also asked to teach algebra, government and economics. It was a very taxing year, but the lessons learned (both academic and personal) are ones that I continue to treasure. While teaching economics, I learned of several principles which govern personal and commercial finance. One of these principles is called the law of supply and demand. Simply stated it says, The more you have of something, the less valuable it is. The less you have of something, the more valuable it is.

As we consider how this applies to the blessings of poverty I feel the implication is quite clear. The more material possessions we have, the less we tend to appreciate them. Imagine that your family lives in southern California and you are all preparing for your semi-annual trip to Disneyland. Now imagine that your family is making the same trip but under different circumstances. The whole family has worked together to plan and scrimp and save for five years so you can all enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Disneyland. While in both cases your family would have a wonderful time, don’t you think that in the second case there would be a greater appreciation for the experience, a greater urgency to enjoy every moment, a greater sense of specialness? Our level of enjoyment tends to go down as we experience something over and over again, for being human we tend to take things for granted. This happens in all different ways. Let me give a few examples.

The college music & drama team I had joined was making a three-week tour of Jamaica. We arrived on the beautiful island and were given a host family to stay with for the first part of our visit. I was sent with a family that owned a lovely home with a spectacular view of the Caribbean from their upstairs balcony. The four of us staying in the home were almost speechless at the beauty of that view. The family members just shrugged their shoulders and acted as if we were a little strange. They were so familiar with that view, they took it for granted. We, on the other hand, all took pictures from that balcony. In fact, I still have my picture and treasure the memories it holds. When I arrived home, I realized just how much I had been guilty of the same thing. Our family home, built when I was in high school, was an incredibly lovely A-frame house situated on a very small, private lake. Although I had learned to love that home and its picturesque setting, I realized that I, too, was starting to take it for granted, just as our Jamaican host family had taken their home for granted. I asked the Lord to give me a special, renewed appreciation for our home. I’m glad I did, for I believe that He answered that prayer in a very real way. When the family home had to be sold, I truly grieved; but my grieving was tempered by the knowledge that I had learned to appreciate that home as a gift from God for all the days He allowed us to have it.

Sometimes God uses His perfect sense of timing to help us appreciate material possessions even more. Such is the case with our family’s home. After eighteen years of renting various apartments and houses, I had given up on the idea of ever being able to purchase a home of our own. I have to admit that at first I felt quite resentful about giving up that dream, but then I came to a sense of acceptance. I figured that if renting an apartment was what the Lord had for us, I might as well make the best of it and actually did become content in our home. But, in the fall of 1999 we received a letter informing us that our apartment complex was being sold and that we had to meet certain income requirements in order to stay. Our family just missed their requirements, so we were told we would have to move. I was greatly concerned because I couldn’t see any possible way that we could afford to purchase a home of our own, and I knew that if we moved into another apartment complex, we would be at the mercy of another landlord who could also insist that we move whenever it suited his or her purpose. In addition to all that, I was teaching two brand new courses at the children’s academy, and I knew that there was no way I could find the time or energy to move while I was teaching (there are few things I detest as much as I detest moving). As a family, we all went to our knees and asked the Lord for guidance. We decided to pursue the possibility of purchasing our own home, even though I was convinced that the only thing we could afford would be a one—or two-bedroom shack at best.

We picked out a realtor from the newspaper, but were quickly disappointed with her. She was definitely not a nice person, but by the time we realized this, we had already signed the agreement she had insisted upon.