Free To Reach
When I was in seventh grade, all the students ran a timed mile run each Tuesday in gym class. The five fastest girls’ and boys’ names and times were posted on the wall of the gym for the rest of the week. I was almost always the third fastest girl, and twenty years later, I still remember the names of the two girls whose names were usually above mine on the list.
A natural competitor, I viewed these runs as a significant event every week, and I made sure to drink lots of water and get to bed early on Monday nights to prepare. But I was endlessly frustrated by the attitudes of most of my peers about the weekly “mile day.” A lot of them strolled to the finish line rather than sprinting and didn’t keep track of their times at all. They said things like, “I could run as fast as you if I tried, but I don’t really care.” That got under my skin so much! The trying and the caring is the important part, of course.
My sister, two years behind me in school, was always a top student. I’m pretty sure she got a perfect score on the math SAT. Friends would say how lucky she was to be naturally smart. But I knew the real reason she consistently attained straight A’s and was courted by top tier universities– she worked really, really hard! While the rest of us agonized about teenage romances and dramas, she plugged away at her studies.
My sister is naturally gifted and I have some innate athleticism, but our successes came down to actually putting in the hard work. God gives all of us gifts: some people geniuses, some have perfect pitch, some are engaging public speakers. The Bible references spiritual gifts like prophesy, ministry, teaching, and giving, instructing us to hone our strengths to glorify God (Romans 12:6-8). Our hobbies and careers are more enjoyable when they mesh with our natural gifts. As someone who has never been able to touch my toes without bending my knees, I would be miserable trying to hack it as a gymnast.
Most of us aspire to a financially comfortable lifestyle, though how we define that varies. A common obstacle cited by people living paycheck to paycheck, even when the paychecks are actually pretty high, is the “bad with money” label they put on themselves. Phrases like “I’m a shopaholic” or “I just don’t want to think about it” are tossed around, as if they are unshakable parts of a person’s psyche, like how some people can’t curl their tongues. But financial savvy isn’t a genetic trait; it’s a learned skill set.
I’ve long been fascinated with the vaunted Marshmallow Experiment, which has been repeated and reinvented many times. The basic setup involves psychologists presenting young children with single marshmallows and telling each child he can eat his marshmallow right away, or wait for a bit and then get two marshmallows. The kids are left alone for a relatively short time, but long enough that they get very antsy. There are lots of hilarious YouTube videos of this experiment in action, with some kids immediately eating the treats and others longingly staring at the marshmallows, or resolutely ignoring them, or trying to take tiny, imperceptible bites. Scientists then track how the kids do later in life– in their education, careers, and relationships. Interestingly, the ones who are able to delay gratification long enough to get the second marshmallow tend to be significantly more successful in life by all measurable metrics.
Does this study indicate that the ability to drill down, focus, or try really hard is innate, built into us even as little kids? Or is this a skill we can learn?
I’m an optimist, and I firmly believe that our attitudes and efforts are well within the bounds of our control. Our God-given free will isn’t limited by our genetics, though we can make choices that stunt our own abilities, like falling into negative habits and addictions. But no one has to be “bad with money” or subject to a natural dearth of willpower. We can choose to make the most out of our situations.
The implications of this are enormous and exciting! A willingness to believe that we can positively influence our futures is key to unlocking real change in ourselves. As Christians, we know God is in control, and we are even promised “that all things work together for good for those who love God” (Romans 8:28). When it comes to our financial circumstances, we aren’t guaranteed riches, but we can be confident that God is looking out for our best interests. This doesn’t mean that we’re excused from hard work. We can, and should, discipline ourselves so we can reach our goals.
Those of us who aspire to some version of financial independence can choose to reduce our living expenses. We can choose to track our spending and be aware of our financial reality. We can opt out of unnecessary debt. We can buy groceries based on what’s on sale. We can get rid of streaming service subscriptions. We can invest our money wisely. As long as we “give… to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s and to God the things that are God’s,” Christians are free to live frugally, or not (Matthew 22:21).
The joyful truth is God allows us immense freedom to determine the direction of our lives. We should jump out of bed everyday with grateful hearts and a sense of direction. “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). What do YOU want to do today?
