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Are We Teaching Our Children Important Financial Lessons?
Author : Ozeme J Bonnette
Submitted : 2011-12-12 17:28:06 Word Count : 528 Popularity: 0
Tags: financial stewardship, inheritance, money management
As we can see in Genesis 25:5-6, inheritances were very important in the Bible. By definition, an inheritance is a possession. It is considered both permanent and valuable. It is something that someone owns that can be passed on from an ancestor to one or more heirs.
Are We Carrying on the Tradition?
One of the greatest concepts discussed in the Bible with respect to inheritances is that we, as Christians, are the people of God's inheritance. As it reads in Deuteronomy 4:20, God called the Israelites out of Egypt and chose them to be the recipients of His abundant blessings.
In the Old Testament, the Israelites inherited the promised land. In the New Testament, we received an even greater gift. We see that through Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, we have been given "an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade - kept in heaven" for us. (1 Peter 1:4 NIV)
Knowing the value that has been placed on inheritances in the past, we should evaluate whether we are doing our part to carry on the ancient tradition. Are we not only respecting the value of our own inheritances, but also passing them on?
The Seen and the Unseen
Let's start with our physical possessions. In life, we all acquire things. Very few of us have trouble spending money. We buy homes, cars, clothing, food, and tons of other items that enable us to be comfortable and happy while here on earth.
Then, there are the non-physical possessions. In this category, we should consider our morals, our beliefs, or our philosophies on life. What are we teaching our children?
Do our children see us using our credit cards for every purchase? Are we using those cards because we are trying to build up a bigger cash back bonus, or because we don't have any cash in the bank account?
Will our children know Jehovah Jireh as their provider in the tough times, or have we taught them to run to Visa and Mastercard?
Do our children see us working really hard? While that can be a great example of determination and perseverance, we must also consider our motives. Are we spending so much time at work because that's what it takes to pay the bills and provide for our families? Or are we burning the midnight oil (even on Sundays) to buy more things so that we are better able to keep up with the Joneses?
Will our children be in church on Sundays and midweek thanking God for His infinite blessings, or will they voluntarily go into their offices on Sundays, hoping to earn a few more dollars to buy more "stuff"?
Are the extra things we want (not need) to buy worth the time that is taken away from the family?
It is great to be able to leave our children with some temporal possessions that may enable them to have fewer struggles than we had, but there is a deeper question to consider as we work toward building that inheritance. When our wills our read, do we want our children to have memories of the "stuff" we left to them or of the time we spent with them?
Author's Resource Box
Ozeme J. Bonnette is a financial coach, speaker, and author of Get What Belongs to You: A Christian Guide to Managing Your Finances. After working for a top financial services company, she shifted her focus to speaking to groups hoping to increase financial literacy. She earned 3 Bachelors degrees at Fresno State, and her MBA at UCLAs Anderson School. Her blog is http://www.povertynorriches.com.
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