There is Random Act of Kindness in Intentional Money Management

Second Post for Thanksgiving Week
by Maria (Ehma) Porpio

A colony of ants gathers food for the rainy days after they have had enough to eat for that day. Even the smallest form of living creatures understands the concept of saving.

I have never seen an ant gather food alone. Have you? Whatever they earn, they pass on to the neighbors beside them. Whenever they see food, they let everybody know so everyone will do the job. Take note: Do the job, not let others do it. What a humbling lesson of hard work and giving, much more because they are from ants. I repeat, from ants. They are not even equal to humans.

But King Solomon, himself in all his wisdom and wealth never failed to appreciate the brilliance of ants. In Proverbs 6:6-8, he said:

“Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.”

I see how much my husband works. I witness how he pours love to us, his family no matter how much the pressure of responsibilities at work can consume his strength. I appreciate his willingness to smile despite the struggles of balancing a healthy lifestyle. That’s why it pains me to hear people say that he doesn’t give enough to the whims of others. There are purposes in the fruit of his hard work and they are prioritized accordingly. That’s when the, GIVE, SAVE and SPEND jars are filled to the brim. Any overflow is also allocated proportionately to where God intends to find meaning in our hearts.

In my previous blog

http://treasuresinthemundane.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-closer-look-to-our-familys-cash.html

I explained the percentage allocation in our household. Without this, we would not have known how much of the income we are saving. Are we saving enough or are we only hoarding? We are supposed to give at least 10% to the Church. Are we denying God of our promise to give back? Do we cater to our own craze that we can never have enough to save for rainy days?

Our household intends to continue budgeting, giving purpose to every purchase, having intentions of saving, so when we know that every penny has a goal, then we will have no problem giving abundantly. My fellow blogger and newfound friend, Jane posted an image on facebook. It says:

“You cannot give what you do not have.”

Then I remembered the quote I stumbled upon from the first female prime minister of Britain, Margaret Thatcher who was also known as the “Iron Lady”.

"No one would have remembered the Good Samaritan if he'd only had good intentions. He had money as well."

Simply put, if we manage our money well since money by itself cannot do the trade and cannot pay purchases, it has to be managed by someone holding the money then we will be able to live a truly rich life… a life without the headaches of where to find food for the next day… a life that is not a burden to any family member because one can take care of himself… a life that can truly give because there is no other purpose for that money but to enrich others as well.

I tell you, there is random act of kindness in intentional money management. And I am always moved by any kindness of anyway, shape, or form. There is so much truth is the saying, “No amount of kindness, no matter how small is ever wasted.” As I browsed the internet to see creative ways to show random act of kindness so I can plan to do 37 of them before I reach my 37th birthday, I feel some of the ways are already naturally expected of us. Smiling to strangers and offering to open doors for the person behind you are among a few and I might not put that on my list because they seem effortless. But offering coffee, buying groceries, sending money, volunteering to clean ovens and visiting a friend who lived miles away are some I am considering. However, all the ones I have chosen to do are not just seemingly impactful. In fact, they are seemingly impactful because they involve giving a portion of our hard-earned wealth.

Then it makes me feel truly rich and blessed to be able to afford to give, no matter how small!

I always tell my daughter to spread sunshine before she walks to the bus stop and when she replied, “Mom, there are people whom I am really having a hard time spreading my sunshine to.” Then I tell her they are the people who need it most.

There are plenty of people who need our kindness. Join with me on this crusade. Let us spread them. But first, let’s start from ourselves. Let us be intentional about our money, Loves!