"And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content." I Timothy 6:8

"More month than pay check" seems to be the experience of an increasing number of people. Various solutions to the problem have been sought. Some are working two jobs. Particularly in young families, both husband and wife are working in order to "make ends meet." Others have borrowed money in order to "consolidate" their bills in hopes that this will somehow help them get ahead. In most cases these are at best only temporary remedies which treat the symptoms rather than the real problem. It is very difficult to come up with the right remedy unless one knows and is willing to admit what the real problem really is. The real problem is not always easy to identify because more often than not, it is very complex. The cause for the "not enough" syndrome may be poor financial management, impatience, easy credit, being discontent, or any combination of these problems.

It seems that many young married couples think that within the first year of their marriage they should have all the things that their parents have accumulated over a period of 30 years or more. Doing so is not out of the realm of possibility considering the fact that three or four pre-approved credit card offers arrive in the mail each month. The purchases are made on the assumption that next month the purchases can be afforded. Most settle for the minimum payment and end up paying the high interest rate on the balance. The Bible is correct when it says, "The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender's slave." (Proverbs 22:7) Without realizing it, one can easily become an employee of the credit card company.

New cars, a new house, new furniture, the latest gadgets and before you know it the husband is working two jobs and the wife leaves the kids in the Day Care Center so she can help pay the bills. Could it be that the real cause is a failure to be content with just those things that one can afford without having to mortgage his family and maybe even his soul? Would it not be wiser to settle for a lot less things and spend more time with your family? Children need to be raised by their parents rather than the Day Care Center. Sooner than you think, you will be looking into the eyes of a teenager and you may experience the sobering reality that you don't really know your son or daughter; and you will still owe for the house and the cars.