Today's Business Lessons
Financial vision
(The Philippine Star) | Updated August 17, 2013
Are you living from paycheck to paycheck? Many are. Many young people
working in BPO centers almost always end up negative at the end of the
month no matter how much money they’re paid.
Money is congealed life, and money matters dominate most of our
activities. So why is it that money management isn’t taught in schools?
Young kids should be exposed to money management.
Most people never plan their finances, while a cliché goes: “If you
fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Maybe that’s why so many people end up
in the hole. When it comes to finances, everyone ends up somewhere. But
few people end up somewhere on purpose. Most do things without thinking
and without planning. Then they get surprised with the outcome, refusing
to acknowledge that they’ve been irresponsible and reckless. Consider
this: Nobody accidently swipes their credit cards!
Money is a spiritual topic. Do you know that Jesus talked a lot more
about money, riches and wealth than heaven or hell? Perhaps He knew that
financial and material distractions could become his top competitor for
our hearts, attention and affection. Jesus Himself said, “No one can
serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he
will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both
God and money.”
Without clear thinking and wise planning, every one of us – whether a
millionaire or a homeless person – is susceptible to bondage to money.
Money is an acid test of the character. I’ve known good people who
folded and compromised their integrity and principles when presented
with the prospect of making a lot of money the improper way.
The most freeing experience next to the forgiveness of God through
Christ is being debt-free. No interest payments. No worries. No fears.
No burdens. Loans taken out for doing business is legit, but loans taken
out and spent on personal indulgences are never legit. They are, in
fact, catastrophic.
I remember a couple who wore signature clothes, drove a luxury car
and even built a fancy house in an expensive housing village where they
threw charming parties. They were the toast of the town just a few years
ago. Today, they’re totally penniless. Their lavish lifestyles were
supported by bank loans originally intended for business. But they
misused their funds. Today, they’ve lost everything.
Meanwhile, I’ve met countless of business people who started their
business small. But they worked hard and were frugal, and when they
spotted opportunities for business growth, they took out a loan and expanded the business – and succeeded. Today, they remain
militantly prudent and never use the business loan for personal
purposes. They’re still working hard, but are living comfortably and are
able to set aside money for personal consumption and even a little
indulgence as a reward for their hard work.
What’s your financial vision? I guess a better question is, how are
you managing God’s resources? Since He created the heavens and the
earth, and owns everything, you and I are mere stewards of his
ownership, tasked to grow it and put it to good use.
Money you have isn’t yours. You can’t even bring it with you when
it’s time for you to go. So put it to good use. Grow it, and be a
channel of blessing to others. That’s investing in eternity.
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