Economic Crisis: What It Can Teach Our Children: Part Two

Last week, I discussed lessons we can teach our children on how not to repeat the mistakes that have caused the conomic crisis our country has experienced in the last month. Here are some more ideas:

4. Overcome greed with gratitude. I am saddened to see so many Americans always wanting more, never being satisfied with what they have. Lead your children to be thankful for what God has given us. Even the simple practice of thanking God for a meal teaches your children to be thankful for everything, even if it’s not quite up to the standards we would prefer. Just because something is quite to our taste doesn’t mean that it does not come from God’s hand or that we can thankful for it. When we are grateful for what we have, we will be more disciplined in what we buy. Hebrews 13:5 tells us, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have because God has said, “Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you.” We need to teach our children to be more content. How do we do that? The first step is to show contentment ourselves.

5. Remember the tithe. Tithing teaches our children that God is more important than we are. Teaching children to start tithing when they are still young instills the habit of learning now to live on 9/10’s of their income. Malachi 3 is very clear that God will bless us richly if we remember to give him His portion. Give your child an allowance that can easily be divided by ten so they can tithe. Let them see you writing out your tithe check and placing it in the offering plate. Children learn from example as much as by instruction!

6. Trust God. It’s so easy to put our trust in a mortgage, the banking system, the stock market. It’s easy to turn our money over to the mutual funds and turn our minds to other matters, with the feeling that Wall Street is invincible. The events of the past few weeks showed us that our economy, the investment industry, even the government has serious cracks. The only One we can trust is God. He has promised to provide for us and He has never ever broken a promise. His securities are secure, you can bank on His banking system and you can trust that He will take care of you and never forsake you. You will always have what you need plus plenty to share if you keep trusting in Him. Seek first His kingdom, says Matthew 6:33, and all the things you need will be yours. Instead of focusing on how everyone has failed us, we need to turn our focus on God. Cry out to Him. Ask Him to provide. Teach your children to praise Him for what He can do.

Can I suggest several verses you can teach the children in your life this week? These verses will be a reminder that God alone can provide our every need.

Proverbs 3:5,6
Philippians 4:19
2 Corinthians 9:6,7
2 Corinthians 9:11
Matthew 6:33
Psalm 121:1,2

In this time of financial struggle, plaster these verses around your home and inside your classroom to remind your children – and you – that God is in control and He blesses those who trust Him enough to keep on being generous to those who have less.

Economic Crisis: What It Can Teach Our Children

My daughter has a paper due in her Philosophy class this week. The teacher won’t grade the first paper, yet my daughter was still nervous about her first college assignment. “I hope I don’t blow it,” she told me. “

This is a good one to fail on,” I told her. “If you go amiss, the teacher will most likely make comments and you’ll learn from your failure.”

In the past two weeks, America failed. We received a failing grade in our ability to handle our economy. Before we join the politicians in pointing fingers, let’s admit it. All of us have been guilty of spending more than we need to, of overreaching our ability to pay. All of us have been guilty at one time or another of the sin of coveting, of wanting more than what we have. So, like my daughter learning from her mistakes, what can we learn from our failure? More specifically, in light of the theme of this column, what can we learn to teach our children about financial security? I’ll cover a few ideas this week and save the rest for next week.

1. Grow in self-control. Teach your kids now how to control their impulses. The best thing you can do for your kids is to not let them have everything they want. If you do give into every childish whim, it will be all too easy for them as adults, to whip out that credit card so they can purchase whatever meets their fancy, whether they need it or not.

2. Replace self-indulgence with self-sacrifice. Teach your kids to think of others and their needs. Teach your kids to do without. Teach them to be flexible. Try doing without catsup on a hot dog one evening or eat toast with either jelly or margarine but not both. Teach them to share by having two children time split a soda instead of each having an entire 12 ounce can. Like Jo and her sisters in the classic, Little Women, have them share an important meal with someone who has none. Challenge them to say “no” once in awhile to offers of candy at school just so they can learn the power of saying “No.” Learning to say “no” will make your child stronger and enable them to endure when they do have to do without.

3. Avoid debt. Debt is a kind of bondage. Someone once said that debt enslaves your future income to your creditors. Debt allows us to have things before we have the money. Teach your child now to save their money for the big items instead of spending it on little things. Don’t bail them out if they don’t have enough. Repeat often: don’t buy something unless you have the money to pay for it. Help them set up a savings account and make it possible for them to get to the bank to put money in the bank so they can save up for the big item they want.

Come back next week for more ideas on teaching the next generation how to avoid economic crisis.