“I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:12,13

Life can be such a rollercoaster – it goes up and down and all around and that includes with what we have and with what we earn. When Sandra and I first got married, we had hardly anything. Buying pickles and cheese were luxuries we could couldn’t afford. We needed to make decisions regarding what were our needs vs. what were our wants and implement that in our life. This is something that has helped us our entire lives. When we started working we had a bit more. As life progressed things became a bit more comfortable… until the day I went back to school again and then later when we moved to Thailand, and the rollercoaster took a nose dive down.  There were periods in our life when we had no car, we walked everywhere, took buses and had to count every dollar. We didn’t buy any new clothes or eat in a restaurant for a very long time. Our friends would invite us to go out, but we always told them we would have to bring our own lunches. This is the daily reality for many people.

So many of you are on or have taken a ride on the same rollercoaster. With interest rates and mortgage renewals and rent increases, the need for a job and grocery prices and shrinkflation and job insecurity, we’ve all been on a ride we didn’t sign up for. And we can identify with Paul who writes to the church at Philippi about having plenty and having little. As an Apostle who was often treated with hostility and who also had to have a side hustle of making tents to provide for his needs, he’s an old pro at riding the rollercoaster of life. His answer is so powerfully and profoundly simple. “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Jesus is the anchor whether we have a little or a lot. He is my help when I’m struggling and I don’t seem to have enough to make it through the month, and He’s my help when I have what I need, reminding me that when I have a lot, I only have that because He’s given that to me to use for His glory.

In all honesty, we tend to handle scarcity better than we handle prosperity because when we have little we know we need God to provide; when we have a lot, it’s easy to forget our Provider.

So are there practical ways we can learn to live with a little or a lot? There are and they’re actually applicable to both situations.

1. God is our Provider.

What we have (even our little) He’s given to us so let’s use that as something He’s entrusted to us. I wouldn’t be a legit Pastor if I didn’t give a reminder that tithing is the very principle God put in place to help us remember this very fact. Giving back to God reminds me of the source and it acknowledges that He’s my provider.  We also know He will take care of us as our provider and He can help us learn to spend what we have wisely, use available resources (Care Centre) and consignment shops and also know He can open doors for employment.

2. Practice being Thankful.

Be thankful for what you do have. Each day, every smile, the warmth of the sun, your friends and family, these are gifts from God. Maybe even keep a journal full of thanks to keep being thankful front of mind. It helps a lot especially when things are tough.

3. Pay it Forward.

No matter what our life situation, there’s always someone who’s life is more difficult than mine. So give kindness, give a smile, donate clothing, volunteer your time, be generous. Nothing grounds us more than giving to others (it doesn’t have to be money)

4. Pause before Paying.

There’s a reason why Walmart has rows of candies and chips right before the check-outs…impulse buying! Pause before buying and decide what you can live without. Do I really need it or can I live without it?

If you have goals for your future, this is an area you have to be diligent about or your impulse buying or your “want’s” buying will choke out all your future plans… one coffee or fast food order at a time.

5. Use a Budget.

Whether you have a little or a lot, if you have no idea what and where you’re spending, you’re going to spend way more than you realize. A budget helps you live within your means and it gives you a way to track your success.

Wherever you are on this rollercoaster, whether you’re up or down or all around, you can find contentment and rest because, ‘you can do everything through Christ, who gives you strength.’ And that’s how we learn to live with a little or a lot!