Stuffitis

I wrote this about a month ago but did not manage to post it yet. Here it is, finally.

We are going through the “Financial Peace” by Dave Ramsey these days…

While meditating on freedom from stuffitis on my way to work today, it occurred to me that just prior to acquiring stuff, there are questions our mind will ask. Freedom from stuffitis is achieved as we transition from questions like:

Do I like it?
Do I desire it?
Will it give me pleasure?
Can I get it?
How can I get it?
How soon can I get it?

to questions like:

Do I need it?
Do I need it now?
Can I do without it?
What does it do for me? For how long?
Do I need to do that?
What are the hidden costs?
Can i afford it?
Is it good stewardship?
Will it make a difference 10 years from now? How?
Will I be spending it on myself? (See James 4:3) if I waste it on myself, I may prove that hat I am not ready to receive more by prayer, I am not a good steward with what I have already, and that God may need to take some of it away or may be the joy of having it until I learn my lesson. If in our abundance we crave toys, and use the money he gave us to acquire them… then we turn to Him and ask for more blessings so we can give to missionaries and the poor, of course… we can’t outsmart Him; we can only deceive ourselves.

I shall remember this the next time that iPhone and that Blackberry Bold wink at me