If Money Were No Object: My View

Yesterday, I asked my wife to write her thoughts on what she would do if money were no object.  You should notice that it took her several items until she listed that she would do something charitable.  Now, I am not being unkind in pointing that out and you should ask yourself, truthfully, how many items would it take for you to list doing something kind for someone else?

This way of thinking is common today and my opinion is that it is due to us being so weighted down with the cold iron weights of debt.  Those weights keep us under water in the black depths of despair for such an unbearable and seemingly never ending, heart bursting amount of time that once we are loosed from the weight and claw and kick our way to the surface where life giving air and light are in ready supply; we simply forget about everything and everyone else and enter into a selfish and self-induced paranoid fantasy of spending and getting and meeting each and every artificial need before we are plunged back into the bottomless depths.

We never consider caring for another hungry and dying soul, before we buy our own life rafts and floatation devices.  We never consider giving water to the thirsty before we drink to drunkenness.  We never help to clothe the cold and naked or shelter the homeless until we have first purchased new and expensive clothing and built our air-conditioned homes.

It is not wrong for us to eat, drink, wear clothes, and live in a home.  It is wrong for us to push away and keep separate those that are needy because we are in need.  It is wrong for us to push away and keep separate those that are in need until after we climb a little higher into the soft, warm, and secure arms of luxury.

We must challenge ourselves to help someone in more need than we are now and we must challenge ourselves to put first on our list (once money is no object) to reach back into the sea of needy and pull another out of the cold, black depths.

What would I do if money were no object?  I would make sure that not one more soul was held captive by the chains of debt.  That is easy to say now after I had longer to think about it than my wife.

I would try to learn to live life without the stress of not knowing if we had enough money.

I would take life one day at a time.

–Jeremy

If money were no object…..

At my husband’s insistence, I am going to spend a little bit of time recording my thoughts.  The topic of choice is, “If money were no object, what would/could you do?”

After the initial “Hmmmmm…..” has subsided, I realize that the question is not as easy to answer as I imagined.  It’s not until I let go of the idea of limitations and  truly grasp the concept of NO OBJECT that I begin to imagine the possibilities.

If money were no object, I would not spend time fretting over whether or not my children will be able to attend college.  I know that they are blessed with intelligence and ambition to succeed, but being able to avoid student loans and delays in education while working to pay tuition will help secure their futures.

If money were no object, I would buy vacation property in a beautiful part of the country that would serve several purposes.  First, it could be a retreat for writing.  I would also hold an annual family reunion with an open invitation to anyone that would like to visit during the summer holiday.  (Time and money seem to be the two things that keep me from visiting my extended family as often as I would like, maybe this would lessen both of these obstacles.)  Finally, it could be used as a free retreat for families in full time ministry.  (A place for rest and reconnecting with each other….)

If money were no object, I would hire a maid service.

If money were no object, I wouldn’t be afraid to go shopping for clothes.

If money were no object, I would start an academic scholarship program for deserving students to attend the private school where I work.

If money were no object, I would travel with my husband (as much as he could stand) and children to interesting and beautiful places that I’ve always wanted to see.

If money were no object, I would be able to spend more time and effort imagining things to do with it!

This has been a fun activity and I’m sure that it is healthy to dream big now and again, but  for today, I must focus on careful planning, budgeting, and sticking to it, so that someday money may perhaps be less of an object if not no object.

-Ashley

How Do Millionaires Go Broke?

I am posting portions of this AP article about Ed McMahon not to make fun of him or make light of the situation, but to continue to point out the fact that if you do not plan (me included) you will be broke.
His story is front page today, but it too will fade and the economy will turn around. The question is how will you act once it does? Will you get settled in and get used to how much “stuff” costs or will you continue to pursue getting out of debt and staying out of debt?

clipped from news.yahoo.com Ed McMahon talks about possible home foreclosure LOS ANGELES - Ed McMahon blames the possible foreclosure of his multimillion-dollar Beverly Hills house on a set of problems all too familiar to many Americans: a foundering economy, health problems and poor planning. “If you spend more money than you make, you know what happens,” McMahon said Thursday night on CNN’s “Larry King Live.” “You know, a couple of divorces thrown in, a few things like that. And, you know, things happen.” Asked why a millionaire couldn’t make house payments, Pamela McMahon said the couple had less money than people may think and suggested they could have done a better job managing their finances. “We didn’t keep our eye on the ball. We made mistakes,” she said. “It’s embarrassing to say the least, and it’s sad, because you know, Ed’s worked his whole entire life.”