Financial hardships carry a particular stigma. It’s often considered not polite or embarrassing to talk about money problems, and you may not realize that a neighbor or friend whose facade is comfortably middle class actually does not have enough.

Those who have not gone through months of unemployment or underemployment often don’t understand the isolation that comes when you don’t have enough money to participate in social events, the strain on your marriage when you can’t hire a babysitter and go out for a coffee, or the tears that come when your kids get excited that you put a treat in the grocery cart and didn’t put it back this time.

Grateful for the hard times

As painful as my seasons of financial hardship have been, I can say that I am truly grateful for them because of how they have shaped and grown the person that I am, my walk with the Lord, and my family as a whole. And I don’t just mean that we’ve learned money management skills. Sometimes you can have all the information, but not be able to enact those principles in your life due to circumstances outside your control (e.g. when my husband had no work but could not collect unemployment for six weeks during Covid).

I’ve learned to be less critical of people’s hardships and not assume that those hardships are always because of poor choices. And when difficulties are brought on by unwise money management, I’ve realized that we all make mistakes and God offers grace to learn and grow and make better decisions. I’m so thankful for people who instead of judging me in our darkest times, sought to encourage and offer hope.

I am thankful for the creativity I’ve learned through financial difficulty, such as how to:

• Sell unneeded stuff and use the cash to buy good used items we do need
• Make delicious food from scratch
• Use my talents to develop work-from-home opportunities to supplement our income
• Utilize the library and online resources effectively
• Appreciate parks and playgrounds and free church activities for my kids

Definitely life is easier with an adequate budget, but I don’t regret the creativity that has come from seasons of not having enough. It is also a learned behavior, in our consumer culture, to be able to just plain do without.

The greatest blessing

One of the greatest blessings of financial deprivation has been the opportunity to see God’s provision over and over again and to build a foundation for my children of understanding that God is our Provider. And the way we most often saw Him provide was directly through His people. Christian friends kept us from losing our house or provided grocery money for tough weeks. These quiet heroes have taught me to be aware of others’ needs and how to help—in quiet ways that preserve another’s dignity but uplifts that person’s soul.

Appreciating seasons of abundance

And yes, seasons of financial hardship, which sometimes feel like they will never end, have made me appreciate seasons of abundance. Paul says, “I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need” (Philippians 4:12b ESV). Doesn’t it seem strange that he should have to learn how to face “plenty” and “abundance”? Don’t we naturally know how to have? Not necessarily.

When we do have, it takes a different sort of discipline and focus to use our resources wisely and not try to make up for when we didn’t have. It takes a conscious effort to choose generosity over hoarding in fear of future deprivation. For some of us it takes a decision to avoid false guilt and enjoy what God has allowed us to experience.

A season of abundance after a season of hunger and need has definitely enabled me to be thankful for “little” things—being able to grab that pair of pjs my child needs and buy a fun snack on the same shopping trip or being able to pay every bill on time. And there is overwhelming gratitude at being able to give to others when you yourself have truly experienced need.

Meet Jennifer Hunt

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Begin Within is a series to inspire a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only your own life, but the lives of your neighbors as well. Gratitude is a theme we talk about often around here because it ties so closely into other missional living rhythms. Practicing gratitude reminds to keep our hearts soft and expectant and our eyes open. Therefore, the more we embrace gratitude, the easier it becomes to truly see our neighbors and where we can join what God is already doing in our neighborhoods.

My vision for this gratitude series is to help others embrace a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only their own life, but the lives of their neighbors as well.

If you would like to contribute to Begin Within, you can find the submission guidelines here.

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If you would like to cultivate rhythms in addition to gratitude that will empower you live on mission in your neighborhood, check out Cultivating a Missional Life: A 30-Day Devotional to Gently Help You Open Your Heart, Home, and Life to Your Neighbors. This small book will help you make a big impact in your neighborhood as you learn to let missional living flow from the inside out. Get the 30-day missional living challenge free when you purchase the book.