I shop sales. I shop at thrift
stores. I use coupons. And if I think something’s overpriced, I’ll wait until
it goes on sale or simply pass on it. However, sometimes that gets mistaken for
being tight with my money or cheap (according to some of my family and friendly
associates) when really, I’m aiming to be responsible.
I know the value of hard work, and as a twenty-something, I aim to handle money
and purchases as wisely as possible. It’s important to be a good steward over
what the Lord’s blessed you with, which means not blowing a ton of money on
frivolous purchases. Every now and then I’ll treat myself, and if I really want
something, I’ll save up for it. But I try not to make a habit of spending money
just to spend it, or carelessly spend because I can. That’s irresponsible. There
are ways to be frugal without being cheap,
and I believe wise spending and saving are smart. If you work hard to make
money, why not work hard to maintain it?
About a year ago, I had a dream my dad wanted to talk to our family about something serious. I wasn’t sure what he wanted to discuss, but I knew it was something I needed to prepare myself for. Around the time after I had this dream, I remember stopping by my parents place and sensing something was going on that they weren’t telling me. I tried to dismiss what I’d been feeling, but I couldn’t shake it. Something serious was happening. As I returned to my home after visiting them one day, I was in my kitchen washing dishes when a heaviness hit my heart like nothing I’d ever felt before. Something’s wrong with dad. That’s what that dream was about. God, what’s going on? As I continued washing dishes, I started crying and praying. Then in mid-spring, my dad held an unexpected family meeting that would change all our lives forever. He hesitated at first, and as his voice started cracking and he started crying, he said, “Well, I wanted to talk to ya’ll to tell you that I have kidney disea...