Tuesday, June 30, 2015

FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY...OR NOT!



Oh how I hate quizzes and tests. I missed two questions on the quizzes because I didn’t pay close enough attention and accidentally selected the wrong answer…I think I was glancing at the one question and then scrolled and selected the answer for the other question. I don’t really know what I did, but I KNEW the answers. I’ve never been a good quiz or test taker and I’ve never really understood why. Oh well…water under the bridge, right?

This week, I LOVED the video by Jim Ritchie. In it he talked about how we should pay ourselves first and how to invest so that we can become financially independent. OH how I wished I had learned these lessons in my youth. If I had, maybe money wouldn’t be such a miserable part of my life. Don’t get me wrong, I love money. I think it is a great thing. I think having money would be a spectacular part of life. The things I could and would do with money! The people I could help, if I only had money. But, unfortunately, money and I have a love/hate relationship. I love it and it seems to hate me because it avoids me like the plague. Or maybe it is not really avoiding me so much as I am not very good at managing it? Yeah…I think that is more than likely the REAL problem. I am grateful for lessons like this week’s lessons because they have taught me a little bit about what I’ve been doing wrong all my life. I hope I can start making the changes necessary in order to have a love/love relationship with money and thus, be able to help others better. 

I think your view of money can help or hinder your life. I think when you fixate on money and will do ANYTHING to get money, you are setting yourself up for trouble. Thankfully, I am not one of those types of people. I will work hard, but my integrity is more important to me than money, so I won’t ever steal or rob others for my own personal gain. I answer to a Higher Authority and that helps keep me in check. I also think if you don’t pay enough attention to money, you are setting yourself up for trouble and a pretty difficult life. The key seems to be a “middle of the road” attitude toward money. It’s important for providing the basic necessities of life and can be used as a tool to help others, but it must be controlled and managed or else it will control and manage us! I am reminded of the saying, “You can buy anything in this world with money” and who said that. I never want to have that be my motto!

I think the rules for prospering are pretty important rules to live by. They are: 

Rule 1. Seek the Lord and have hope in him
Rule 2. Keep the commandments, that includes the temporal ones, tithing and fast offerings.
Rule 3. Think about money and plan how you can become self-reliant.
Rule 4. Take advantage of chances for learning so you will not be ignorant of these matters. Education, as President Hinckley has taught us, is the Key to Opportunity.
Rule 5. Learn the laws upon which the blessings of wealth are predicated.
Rule 6. Do not send away the naked, the hungry, the thirsty or the sick or those who are held captive.

These rules are wonderful guidelines for life, not just money. When we put the Lord first and keep His commandments, everything will work out. Faith is one thing we must all have to be truly successful…in my opinion.

(B183)

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