Originally published as a series on LinkedIn.

Legacy & Inheritance

No bling bling, no ching ching!

Wise wealth building means that we and our children (or families) are for financially stable for generations. The Bible instructs us to leave an inheritance, “A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.” (Prov. 13:22 NIV) We are to build for our grandchildren, not our children. As Christians (and all believers in their faith), we are required to be good stewards over the blessings we are given.

In business, company founders build legacies by establishing a profitable name or brand. With a good reputation, great leadership, and consistent profit margin, owners can transfer their companies from generation to generation, such as S. C. Johnson (5 generations), Perdue Farms (2 generations), Comcast (2 generations), and Wal-Mart (3 generations). Each new generation has the potential to expand the brand, the family’s legacy, and its profit.

Many other families establish the same pattern of wealth building and inheritance, employing trust funds and other financial avenues for wealth building. Accordingly, the Bible says, “Houses and wealth are inherited from parents” (Prov. 19:14 NIV). Good parents should pass down sensible values that encourage wisdom, so children can manage their inheritances to continue the cycle of wealth increase.

Godly parents encourage their children to glorify God with their wealth. God’s blessings certainly ensure that money will continue to be a blessing to the family. Simply, wise choices maintain the cycle of wealth for generations, in businesses, and the home.

Ok, we are allowed a tiny bit of a little bling bling and ching ching!

Planning & Investing

We are constantly told to plan when it comes to investing money for the future. While this is wise, there is a difference between pursuing wealth and growing wealth while pursuing God. We should not chase money. Why? Money, no matter how carefully stored, can disappear in an instant:

Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 1 Tim. 6:17 NLT

God wants us to make wise choices in all things, so the Bible also provides instructions for proper stewardship and investment:

PREPARE FIRST, BUILD NEXT: Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house. Proverbs 24:27 NLT

DILIGENCE: Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. Prov. 27:23 NIV; The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. Proverbs 21:5 NIV

BUILD SLOWLY: Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow. Proverbs 13:11 NIV

STORE YOUR RESOURCES: “The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.” Proverbs 21:20 NIV

DEAL JUSTLY: “One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and one who gives gifts to the rich–both come to poverty.” Proverbs 22:16 NIV.

 “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight.” Proverbs 11:1 ESV (also Proverbs 16:11, 20:10, 20:23)

God even instructs to diversify investments: “But divide your investments among many places, for you do not know what risks might lie ahead. Ecclesiastes 11:2 NLT

Financial Responsibility

Proper management of resources is as important to God as it is to us? Yes, the Bible says the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Tim. 6:10), but money itself is not the root. Of course, we all want a better job, bigger house, nice car, and six vacation houses! However, if we cannot manage a little money properly, how can we manage more money properly: “If therefore ye will commit to your trust the true riches? (Luke 16:11 KJV).

Whether we like it or not, money answereth all things (Ecc. 10:19 KJV). That is, money is the preferred method of payment for what we want. Therefore, learning God’s instructions about handling our financial resources will ensure we don’t become poor and dishonor the name of God. We are also not to concentrate on being rich, because we then may deny (forget) God (Prov. 30:9).

Basic principles of wealth-building have a theme of integrity and fortitude: DILIGENCE: “Go to the ant, sluggard; consider her ways and be wise; who having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provides her food in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest.” Proverbs 6:6-8 KJV WISDOM: “Through wisdom, a house is built, and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge the rooms shall be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” Proverbs 24:3-4 KJV

Reaping & Sowing

Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow (Gal. 6:7 NRSV)

We all know this concept by another name – karma. That is, you get what you give. Or you don’t get what you don’t give.

The Bible is full of stories about reaping and sowing. Usually, the concepts apply to spiritual seeds and fruit (e.g., sow kindness and reap kindness). However, the Biblical concept of reaping and sowing applies to various topics, from finances to marriage. Many times, we may not reap what we sowed, because “the fruit” of wealth is for someone else, such as our children. But if we are not careful, even what we do have can be taken away.

We reap financial stability by sowing self-discipline, wisdom, and frugality with the money we earn. And no, winning the lottery does not guarantee financial stability. Over time, wealth grows through God’s blessing, patience, and diligence. This concept also applies to business ventures and growing capital: we sow hard work, smart choices, and a little risk, and the payoff – reaping wealth – will continue long into the future!

In the Parable of the Ten Minas (Luke 19:20-26), Jesus talked about the man who did not sow what he was given to sow. Because he did not sow at all, what he did have was taken away. In finances and business, this is a sad reality: if we do not save and invest even what little we earn, more will be taken away through fees, missed opportunities, and debt accrual. When we don’t have the resources available, we end up borrowing and going into debt to compensate for the loss. We lose what little we have (and owe more money) in the long run.

The post The Proverbs Way to Wise Wealth Building first appeared on The Bedford Tribune.

As soon as I walked through the door from work, our Lubby asked me again for my cell phone. “Mommy, is it charged 100%? I want to play games on it.”

As the best parents ever, we let our six-year-old daughter learn to play Temple Run, Minecraft, and Angry Birds on our cell phones. While these games taught her very valuable life skills, she also began to cling to our cell phones like a spider to a web. After the nth time she asked to use a cell phone, it was time to consider our cell phone habits.

While my husband pleaded innocence (of course), I checked my cell phone usage. I admitted that I had a problem putting down my cell phone. It was by my side always. Being a writer, it is an integral part of my day and livelihood. I checked my phone for updates starting at 4:30 am, and I did not stop checking until bedtime. I panicked if I could not find my phone, much like my Lubby panics when I did not have a cell phone waiting for her.

I realized that I was a nomophobe, and we were creating an adorable nomophobic copy.

Apparently, I wasn’t alone. One report suggested that people, on average, checked their cell phones 150 times per day. Another report said that 42% of people took their cell phones to the beach or on vacation. Women were more likely to be nomophobic than men (Merz, 2013). Sadly, we can create kid-sized nomophobes that watch us glue cell phones to our eyes every day.

So, I already admitted that I had nomophobia, but I tested myself to see how bad I was. I placed my phone on my bedroom dresser and walked away. How long could I leave the cell phone there, without craving to read notifications?

10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, I was checking my phone again. I did not remember the excuse I gave.

Next, I thought about the root of the problem, since I had an obvious self-diagnosis of nomophobia (no mobile phone phobia). After all, I panicked at the sight of 10% battery charge. I was compelled to scan my notifications every few minutes. Ugh! Did I have a fear of disconnection? Was it a coping mechanism or peer pressure? All other moms and career women are doing it, so I should do it, too. Right?

In my case, fear from disconnection spurred an unhealthy attachment to my cell phone. I needed to log off in more ways than one.

I went rogue and tried methods of intervention:

When I had to do chores, I purposefully placed the phone in another room (in silence mode). Washing dishes or scrubbing walls eased the anxiety of my phone’s absence. I was so determined to remove stains that I forgot (for a few moments) about my cell phone. I even found chores to complete, in efforts to extend the time away from my phone.

I put the phone far away from my bedside at night. Normally, I checked my notifications before I went to bed, at the cost of another hour of sleep. This routine became bothersome, especially during the times when my husband wanted to be romantic. And for the record, checking one’s phone is not a better excuse than a headache.

I scheduled hours away from my phone. And I stuck to it. I called it the “Type A Approach”; I am super picky about adhering to schedules and rules. So, I started with two hours of non-phone time and went running or cycling instead. After scheduling two hours, I increased to three hours, then six hours. Eventually, I was able to stay away from my phone all work day!

These methods were effective for me, but results will vary. Evidence-based practices exist that produce good results for getting over phobias through self-help (e.g., www.anxietycare.org.uk). As for me and my husband, the nomophobia wakeup call of my daughter’s impatient need for my cell phone was enough to seek treatment!

Reference:

Merz, T. (2013). ‘Nomophobia’ affects majority of UK. Retrieved from www.telegraph.co.uk./technology/news/10267574/Nomophobia-affects-majority-of-uk.html.

The post A Nomophobe’s Guide to Logging Off first appeared on The Bedford Tribune.