What Is

I have discovered that for most of our financial journey we deal with what we wish we had or did not have in our lives.  How many times do we sit and daydream about what we would do if we had more money?  Or wish that we knew how it would feel to not have so many bills to pay?  We either look forward to the promise or challenge of the future, or we long for or run from our past.  It is truly a rare gift to find someone able to sit comfortably with what is in their fiscal world.


In all of the stresses of dealing with our finances, the truth is that at the heart all of the daydreaming and wishing is the desire to be comfortable with what is in our fiscal lives.  At the end of the day we all want to be free from worry.  The revelation for me when I distilled the essence of that sentiment is that I realized that I could make the decision to be at peace with what is at any time I choose.  At the end of the day, it boils down to a choice I can make.

Now I have to admit that this revelation was liberating and terrifying all at the same time for me.  On the one hand I knew that I have the ability to make my own decision. On the other hand there was an aspect of which it seemed utterly impossible for me to be comfortable with not having enough money in the bank to pay the bills in front of me or to deal with the uncertainty of layoffs in my office. After much soul searching I came back to the conclusion that I still have the power of choice.

I think it is worth talking about what the choice means.  I would not say that it means taking a Pollyanna-ish approach to our financial affairs and pretending that even though we have little in the way of finances, we can buy anything we want because the money will come.  On the other hand I think that it also does not mean that we shut off and shut down all spending and completely retrench.  It seems to me that this choice is really a choice to:
    1.    sit with the current situation,
    2.    see clearly what is,
    3.    ask for and accept Divine guidance,
    4.    make the best decision at the moment,
    5.    and be comfortable with that.

Some time the guidance we receive will inspire us to move forward with ambitious plans. Even with the most exciting ideas the right use of resources is required.  There is a delicate balance of holding what is possible with what is.  Oftentimes restricted financial resources are a part of helping us become more efficient and effective stewards of our resources.  It is important to understand that stewardship of resources does not mean having money to spend without discretion  It is really about getting clear about what we really need for the moment.  It is the choice to see what is.