Pandemic Crises, Faith and…Financial Preparedness

Real Life.

I am a local dental hygienist who serves in the Central Florida area. Life was “normal” and “predictable” for me and my family. Like many others, we had goals set and were accomplishing them. But now due to the current COVID-19 event, most if not all dental hygienists are being placed on furlough until further notice. When I was informed of this, I called my wife, but more on that later.

Pandemic Crises

Pandemics are uncommon on earth, but crises do happen often. Let’s recap recent virus scares: H1N1 (also called swine flu) of 2009, SARS of 2002, and MERS of 2012. Those are epidemic-related, but what about other crises such as hurricanes, work-related injuries, sudden health problems that inhibit one from working, etc? What does this mean for me as a believer?  As a believer, shouldn’t I be immune to hardships? Let’s search the Word of God for answers.

Faith

God does not promise believers that life will be easy on earth, and certainly, a pandemic crisis falls into the category of “not easy.” Hardships will come and are almost guaranteed here on earth. We see evidence of this from Biblical times to the current year, 2020.  Thank God that He gives us guidance on how to spiritually navigate these hardships. So, what does God promise? He promises love, hope, wisdom, and His presence. During these challenges, our faith should be strengthened, and our focus should be on Him. James 1:1-27 , 1 Peter 1:6-7 

So, If you know hardships will come as a believer, what can you do? You can prepare spiritually and financially. Your spiritual walk is the most important, and studying God’s word will help you respond in a healthy manner. Turn to God and strengthen your faith in Him.  Times like this can push us to remember that this life is not all there is; this world is not our home; and we have so much to look forward to as believers. 

Financial Preparedness (Wisdom living)

As believers, we each individually choose to acquire “things” and live a certain lifestyle. Whether it’s acquired houses, vehicles, furniture, various means of debt, cellphones, eating lifestyle, etc., it’s all our choices and our chosen commitments. We must understand that our choices place us in the bounds of responsibility. If we acquire much, we will have the responsibility to care for much. If we choose to live a minimalist life, our responsibilities will be minimal.  With our individual choices of “things,” we must be responsible as believers and prepared to cover their costs during guaranteed hardships. That is Proverbial wisdom.

Romans 13:7, Proverbs 6:6-8, Ecclesiastes 5:5, Proverbs 22:26-27 

What does financial preparedness look like in the real world? 

Steps that can be taken in order:

• Having an emergency fund of $1,000. 

• Paying off all consumer debt. (it ties up money that can be given and personal wealth efforts)

• Saving 3-6 months’ worth of living expenses

(Excerpt from Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps. Visit fpu.com for Baby Steps 4-7)

Oh yes, back to my original story:

…When I received the news that my office placed all dental hygienists on furlough until further notice, I called my wife and she said, “ok.” No fear, no panic, no stress….our faith will be strengthened in God. We paused and prayed together in awe of God’s faithfulness. We thanked Him for the financial preparedness wisdom presented in His Word and the practical measures (Baby Steps 1-3) we have in place in our family. We gave thanks to God that we do not have to stop giving to our local church and other organizations we faithfully give to. Later, we were informed that some other monies were going to be released early and we could continue focusing on our goals during this time.  Also, our giving to our church and other organizations can continue. We have constantly seen the hand of God in our finances and we are grateful. 

Crises will come again, and we as believers are called to be faithful to the Word of God. We can be spiritually and financially prepared for unforeseen events by practicing Godly wisdom. This will help to protect our family's well-being and allow us to continue being givers to those in much need. We look forward to heaven’s glory, because we won’t have to face any hardships or pandemics ever again!  Glory be to Christ Jesus!

Please take the time to review this helpful article below on what you can do financially RIGHT NOW

to help get through this situation!

https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/what-to-do-if-you-miss-a-paycheck

Sincerely,

Jay and Jen Lewis