A few days ago, I was playing the comparison game in my head. (Many of you are familiar with this one, I’m sure.)This time, it was triggered by my frustration with my 2011 Honda Odyssey back door that is (a) not closing properly and (b) sports a nice dent courtesy of the new driver in our house at the time it was grazed. There are more lovely features I could share about this 240K mile beauty, but I’ll spare you the details. As my son and his friend departed the minivan in the carpool line, patiently ensuring the door shut behind them, I started looking — taking note of the other nice cars around me. Every. Single. One. Even the students’ cars in the lot I drove past. I started feeling angst about the budget we’re on, annoyed about the fact that I’m stuck with this car for the foreseeable future, and headed down a rabbit hole of comparisons. All while knowing that comparison is the thief of joy, I simply couldn’t help myself.

For as long as I can remember, I have had this incredible talent of looking at what others have, using that as my measuring stick, and feeling like I don’t quite measure up. (Anyone else relate?) I can do this with the most superficial things to the most meaningful – from someone’s car to another’s lean physique to yet another’s prayer life. God and I have wrestled through this together for decades, and while I’ve grown so much in this space, every once in a while, in the weak moments, I slip right back to my old ways. 

A decade ago, my husband and I each flipped our careers from working in the corporate sector to working at non-profits. Those moves resulted in a much tighter family budget and a less extravagant lifestyle. And as many of our close friends were continuing to climb their corporate ladders, accumulating more and more wealth, we were in essence doing quite the opposite. Some thought we were crazy; others who went before us knew it was rewarding. But that comparison game I became accustomed to playing? That had to be shut down or it would be my demise. So, I wore this transition like a badge of honor, trying to explain our big pay cuts to everyone we knew so they understood why we couldn’t finish the basement, buy the Louis bag, take the big trip, or, you guessed it, drive the fancy car. 

Interestingly, as we headed into these career moves, both our church and our children’s school were kicking off capital campaigns. As if we hadn’t taken big enough pay cuts, how could we give even more to each of these, above and beyond our tithe to the church? We were already tithing 10% of our gross income because we believe that’s what God calls us to do. (That decision has been a non-negotiable in our marriage no matter how much income we have or don’t have.) However, we knew that just because our incomes were reduced, it didn’t mean that our generosity had to be reduced. Having gone through a church capital campaign before, we also knew God’s faithfulness would far outstretch our generosity when we trusted Him with our resources. So, we prayerfully made financial commitments and by His grace, we were able to meet them. Sure, it meant sacrificing some other things we wanted, but with eyes focused on Jesus and His Kingdom, those things felt less significant as time went on. The way we were living was counter-cultural in the eyes of so many, yet our family felt more freedom than we ever had with twice the income. The point is, that when you step out in faith and trust Him with your resources, you will experience freedom and fruit.

Money/possessions is the second most referenced topic in Scripture. The Bible mentions money over 800 times and more than half of all of Jesus’ parables talked about money. Treasure Principal author Randy Alcorn points out that “…15 percent of everything Christ said relates to this topic—more than his teachings on heaven and hell combined.” Alcorn continues to point out that money and possessions are central to our spiritual lives: “It’s of such high priority to God that John the Baptist couldn’t talk about spirituality without talking about how to handle money and possessions.” Can you believe that a concept addressed over 2,000 years ago can still be so relevant today? God knew this, and Luke 12:15 shines a light on what He knew would be a timeless struggle. Jesus warned, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” He also 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. (Matthew 6:24) It’s just as relevant today as it was then.

It’s been over a decade since my husband and I switched careers, and I recently decided to resign from that job and take an unpaid sabbatical while seeking with God what’s next. As I was dreaming of what the “next” would bring, and scrolling through LinkedIn realizing I could easily multiply my previous salary, I posed a regretful question to my husband. One fueled by that comparison game I find myself sinking into every so often. “Wouldn’t it be great to live extravagantly so we can give extravagantly?” I innocently declared. (I may have had my beat-up minivan in mind when I posed that question, along with that comparison stick!)

‘Extravagant’ compared to what? Despite a few sacrifices, our family is incredibly blessed. We live in a wonderful home in a lovely neighborhood. We take vacations, eat out way more than we should, spend money on small indulgences, and have nice things. It did not take long for God to help shift my thinking: The more extravagant the giving, the more extravagant the living.  

Time and time again, God has shown His faithfulness not when we are seeking to get something, but when we are discerning how and what to give, no matter how tight or loose the purse strings are, or no matter how stretched our time feels. The bottom line is that the more resources (time and money) we give to fueling God’s Kingdom, the richer our lives will be. More freedom. More contentment. More joy. More impact. God has proven this time and time again in our lives. The act of giving allows God to work in our hearts.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.

Hebrews 13:5

Our resources should be an engine for us to do incredible things for the Kingdom. We cannot let them become idols. If we accumulate wealth only to enrich ourselves and our immediate family or descendants, with no concern for helping others, how can we ever expect to live a truly abundant life? God talks about money in scripture more than anything else because He knows it is a snare. He reminds us to care for the widows and orphans. He is warning us for our good. The next shiny thing will not bring us life. Only Jesus brings eternal life. 

Lord, thank You for giving us the most extravagant gift — eternal life through the sacrifice of Your son Jesus. I’m grateful for the resources with which you’ve blessed us. Please help me to steward them well and use them to build up Your Kingdom. Whether in times of abundance, or times of scarcity, I pray my heart remains like that of the poor widow, who gave all she had to honor You. Everything I have is Yours, and You are worthy of it all. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.

Mark 12:41-44