In a way, I will say YES!
Actually, it is not financial responsibilities, it is ‘financial stress’ attached with the responsibilities suppresses missionary dreams. If married, then responsibilities are much higher.
Let me recall an advice from Babychayan:
“If you are getting married, remember this – both your family and God will be asking for your personal time, effort and resources.”
Institution of family have its own financial responsibilities and struggles. These struggles might force young couples to abandon their missionary dreams, live an unfeeling life and end up as ATM machines, just to spit money on demand. In reality, they do not have time and resources for their missionary activities.
Abandoning The Call, ignoring the graces receives thru The Movement will extinguish the joy they have received from The Movement, leading to a silent walkout from missionary charisms of The Movement.
Does that mean let us forget about our financial responsibilities? No.
Ignoring our own financial commitments are dangerous. Not to say more if you are married. When active JYs ignore family’s financial responsibilities, hiding in comfort-zones of bachelor-friendships, still ‘single mode’ enabled, displays an anti-witnessing life for their spouse and children. They damage the reputation of The Movement in front of their family. In addition, by alienating spouse they misses the greater call of a married JY – ‘Uplift your family towards the joy of The Movement!’
Ignoring financial commitments results in accumulating debt, damaging own reputation and shaken relationships. This might be one of the reason that we do hear inspirational stories of JY youngsters who were very active for years, but by their mid-thirties miraculously vanished from The Movement.
How long we will go forward with our disquiet life?
How long we can be ignorant to the grace flowing thru this The Movement?
Married or unmarried, to maintain financial commitments, financial discipline is mandatory. Financial discipline will help you to achieve financial freedom, which will give you more time and resource towards your mission, or at least it will help to bring back joy of your missionary life.
Jesus says: “…For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” – (Luke 14:28).
He cites a practical example to talk about discipleship. Every aspect of life requires some level of planning. Living in spirit does not mean we are excused from any kind of planning, but it does mean to use charisms for planning.
Here are some fundamental activities to practice if you like to achieve financial freedom. Before that understand that:
- World will teach many things, but in a Christian context, financial freedom is not about making money and enjoying it.
- Financial freedom is not about getting rich.
- Financial freedom simply means you do not have to spent much time, effort or resource to meet your expenses.
- Financial freedom is all about crushing your greed and optimizing your expenses.
How to achieve financial freedom?
I have researched (Credits to Google, WikiHow) a bit to write down these steps:
- Have a Financial Plan
- Assess your assets
- List you expenses and priorities your expenses
- Cut down, least prioritized expenses
- Track your monthly spending habits
- Analyze why you are spending. Is it matching JY teachings?
- Is your monthly spending higher than your income? If yes, time deep correction.
- Save at least 20% of your income.
-Saving is nothing but keeping some portion of your current income for your future expenses - Have a proper yearly budget.
-We have many JYs working in financial and business sectors, get advice from them. - Set your financial goals. Short term and long term.
- Have a rainy day fund
- Categories your savings and allocate towards your financial goals.
- Invite financially disciplined JYs to your cells/ small groups and understand their financial habits, copy those habits into life.
- Do you have assets which are not used? Try to generate income from those assets.
- Do you have some hobbies? Have some extra incomes from your hobbies.
- Eliminate your debt and reduce your expenses.
- Instruct your bank to pay your credit card bill in full thus eliminating the interest and late payment fees.
- Do not go for shopping without a checklist. Stick to checklist while buying groceries, dresses and electronic items.
- Do not envy your neighbors money. Your focus on your own finance will help you to save some money
- Finally pay tithe and offerings on time
So as a thumb rule your monthly financial action should be like this:
- First allocate tithe.
- Second save 20% of your income (move it from current account to savings account.
For savings there are many financial tools are available, which reaps more benefits than a saving account, it is better to opt one) - Pay your bills
- Pay for family expenses, then your personal expenses
- Pay for offerings if any
Jesus says: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” – Mathew 6:24.
We have only one master – Jesus Christ. Money is not our master, it is just a tool in our hand to serve others. Control it properly before it controls your life. Let us detach from the craving for money, let us get out of the financial stresses. Thus let us allocate more time and resource sharpening our missionary life. Amen!
Note: I am not a financial adviser. Indeed, I roamed in streets with empty pockets. I did not knew how to manage my finance. At last HE caught me and taught me. HE used me to write about finance. Feel funny! Christ is always like this, he use very stupid people for his kingdom.
The Bread and Fish 