Rachel's Testimony

This past Sunday, Rachel shared her experience with the Money Management class:

We give. We give because we have been given much.

Our possessions do not belong to us in the first place, they belong to God. He has blessed us with earthly possessions by his grace to act as stewards, so we give of them freely and cheerfully. This not only helps our hearts to relinquish a dependence on our possessions themselves, it shifts our focus to praise the Giver of those gifts.

I learned that the way I handle my finances can be a declaration of the gospel.

When we deal with our finances honestly and wisely, a way that is very different from the world, it is a proclamation that our lives have been changed by the power of Christ. It proclaims that our motivation in this life is not monetarily driven, but driven by a passion to serve Christ in all we do.

I first received practical knowledge of how I as a poor graduate student needed to exercise budgeting, saving, and investing. I even picked up a second job in the middle of the course because I could see that I was not saving enough to cover any unexpected expenses. But additionally the class helped me realize that how I handle my finances is a reflection of how God is at work in my heart: exposing areas in which I am selfish and worldly-focused. 

In our group, there were a lot of tough financial situations; situations that required a true reliance on the Lord to meet their family’s needs, but there were also many triumphs, with some families becoming completely debt-free! We are all so thankful to the Cards for hosting us, they do so much for this church and have had such an incredible influence on my life. Thank you so much for your willingness to serve us. Also, I am so thankful we have a leadership team that makes financial stewardship a priority. So if you are on the fence about taking the class next time around, definitely do it. I promise it is worth your while.