When my Mom first began saving, it was in an envelope beside her bed. She and my Dad had gotten the revelation about God blessing their storehouse, and she just knew that she had to start a storehouse no matter what. At that time, there wasn’t a lot left over each month and it seemed impossible to save. So each time my Dad would give her grocery money, she would take a percentage of that money and put it in her “storehouse” envelope. It was such a small beginning, and many people would have thought, “How is this ever going to amount to anything.” But my Mom persevered. For a couple of years she just grew her bedside savings. If someone gave her $100, she would save $20. Whatever money went through her hands, she saved a portion of it. Eventually she started a savings account, and you can’t believe how it has grown from there. She and my Dad have been able to grow their savings, facilitate business ideas that God has given them, and have investments for the future, all out of that savings account, and it all started in an envelope beside her bed.
Don’t despise small beginnings! Some of you have been saying to yourself, “I don’t have any extra money that I can save. I am barely making it.” I just want to say to you that you will never move from where you are unless you do something different. You can do anything that you really want to do. If you really want a new shirt, you will scheme and plan and find a way to get that new shirt. If you can scheme a way to get a new shirt, you can scheme a way to save. Even if it’s just the $10 left over from grocery money for the month, there is a way to save. Now, I absolutely feel it is so important to have savings as part of your budget and to make it a priority. However, if you have never saved and feel like it is impossible, there is always a way to start, no matter how small.
Let’s just say that you are married, and your husband manages the money and you have no say in your financial direction? How do you find a way to save and to impact your financial situation? You may not have say in your total direction, but you can be wise with whatever money you have to manage. Whatever money does go through your hands, you need a plan for. Even if it’s just $100 a month from some side job, or your left over grocery money. Don’t despise small beginnings.
What if your debt load is so enormous that every free dollar is going to debt? Let’s say it takes you 20 years to pay off that debt. If you never save and only pay off debt, you will have nothing to show for yourself at the end of 20 years of hard work! There will always be an excuse not to save, but if you can just make it a priority, you can change your future. It is amazing how God will bless your storehouse and even bring opportunities to make more money, and so you can reduce your debt even faster. They say that it takes money to make money, but if you spend every dime of what you earn, even if it’s on debt, you are wasting your opportunity to make future money. Even if it’s not a priority to you today, can I just challenge you to start saving anyway. You will never change your financial situation unless you begin.
In closing today, I want to quote from “The Richest Man in Babylon.” I would probably quote the entire book to you, but my husband has informed me that that would be plagiarism 🙂 So you are just going to need to read it for yourself. But here is the quote for today,
“Wealth, like a tree, grows from a tiny seed. The first copper you save is the seed from which your tree of wealth shall grow. The sooner you plant that seed the sooner shall the tree grow. And the more faithfully you nourish and water that tree with consistent savings, the sooner may you bask in contentment beneath its shade.”
Do not despise the day of small beginnings. So maybe skip your Starbucks Latte’s this week, or don’t buy the new shirt, and put that money into savings instead. It might seem so small, but if you think of it as seed, it might just be the beginnings of a tree that will change the rest your life, and shelter your family for generations.