Money! An Asset or Liability?
Sometimes it seems as if the more we have, the more we argue about what we have. The poorest of couples in America have abundance compared to the masses of the world’s population. I am convinced that the problem does not lie in the amount of money that a couple possesses, but in their attitude toward money and the manner in which they handle it.
I think a lot of us have an idea in mind of what the perfect home, perfect car, perfect job that seems to be the benchmark of what would make us happy. We get there and then realize, “No, that not quite enough.” Author Jeanette Clift George has said, “The great tragedy in life is not in failing to get what you go after. The great tragedy in life is in getting it and finding out it wasn’t worth the trouble.”When life focuses on getting more money, we have the wrong focus. Our marital relationship and our relationship with God are far more important than how much money we have. Getting our priorities straight is the first step in making money an asset to marriage rather than a liability.
Well in today's economy I am sure money is a liability in a lot of marriages. I know in mine we tend to overspend which means that paying bills is our liability. When we step back and look at all we could cut out if we were willing we would probably be much happier. Those things that society has taught us are necessities are really not but we have to be willing to let them go. Of course having more money is an asset because you feel like you can do more for your kids but is it at a cost of over working which is not helping them. If you are blessed to have a great job with great pay and hours and don't have to over extend yourself or sacrifice your family then the money is an asset but if your family is sacrificing then it becomes a liability.
Money is a liability when your focus is on acquiring more money and not on your spouse. It is an asset when you are able to control it, not it controlling you and you use it to improve your relationship with your spouse. If you need to take him/her on a date, or buy a gift, or just to be able to provide for him/her with a home, car, food, etc.
my husband and I (boyfriend at the time) clung to each other when we had little. We seemed to find strength in each other as we struggled together. However, when we both got "good" jobs and we were making 100 times what we ever had, we drifted apart both living our own "financial lives", spending our salaries they way we wanted. Maybe we didn't know how to have a relationship with money, maybe.