OT, but do you think God punishes us financially?

[TheLittleRoo]

I feel like Jonah, getting so much wind and storm in my life lately. Mostly we are dealing with one financial blow after another. First it was second car needing a new starter to the tune of $600, then it was the $14K we didn't expect to owe in taxes, then it was my husband's relocation package abruptly being cancelled and the new plan covers about $20K less for our move (now out of our pocket..). etc. etc.

Then today, our primary car's starter went out. We just sucked it up to age (it's a 97 with 130K miles, what do you expect, I guess) and took the car in. Then the repair shop calls to give us the bad news that the car needs new brakes front and back, has an engine leak that must be addressed, all on top of the starter. Total cost: $2000 we just weren't expecting and DO NOT have.

It makes me wonder something about God that I never wondered before: can this much calamity be God's punishment for something? I have always thought, no God doesn't work that way. But it feels like this is just more than I've ever had thrown my way in all my 40 years, all at the same time. My husband is sick with something for the past month, our marriage is just about strained beyond repair. I haven't done anything Biblically bad but I have complained to my family that I don't enjoy teaching my Sunday school class, and won't sign up again for it next year. I guess we don't tithe like we should and I could do alot better in my prayer life.. could it be showing up in my financial life like a 'if this, then that' correlation?

I know this probably is a weird question on this board, but it IS budget related!! I just feel like we are in a hole financially that is just getting unbelievably deeper from one unexpected blow to the next. I feel like hunkering down in a fallout shelter somewhere. Can anyone relate or offer words of advice?

 

[dwfanatic]

I can empathize with you. We've been there, done that, will be there again. You are definitely not alone Things *will* turn around!!

Carie

 

[MKCP5]

Littleroo

I do NOT believe that God is punishing you financially. I'm not sure why you are under such a heavy burden. I believe that God will bring you through though. Not wanting to teach Sunday school next year has nothing to do with it either. You are just tired of teaching. My husband took this year off from working with youth group. He was tired and burnt out after many years.

We have had periods where we could barely feed ourselves, much less tithe. God was still faithful. He is not punishing you for that.

I know that as humans we want answers for everything, and if you believe in a creator then it is hard not to feel like you are being taught a lesson for something. But He may looking for you to trust Him in your faith. Trust that the financial mess will slowly work its way through, trust that with prayer and care for one another your marriage will work out to be even stronger, trust that if you truly "cast your worries upon Him" and trust that He will direct your paths, that it will be all right. I will pray for you. God is still there. He sees every tear that falls from your eye and loves you. Just keep giving your worry and pain to Him, read your bible to help you find comfort, believe that it will get better and it will!

 

[jocotter]

I personally don't believe God punishes you with financial problems or illnesses or anything like that. However, I think it's possible that, for example, if you were to pray for patience, that it might not just be given to you. Instead you might be sent alot of of very frustrating situations until you learned to be more patient. So did you pray to learn how to handle money? I also think sometimes we just go through rough periods.

I also have problems when we have good financial windfalls. I think "We didn't do anything to deserve this." and I wonder if it will be taken away through car repairs, etc. That's why we tend to save things like the stimulus check.

I hope things get better for you soon!

 

[hinodis]

Take a deep breath. No, I don't feel like God ever punishes us with hardships. I feel that our hardships are just a part of our life while we are here. God will never give more then you can handle. He is doing something in your life for a reason. How has your faith been lately. He wants us to have faith in Him. I will use your car as an analogy for you. You probably had faith in your car...you have faith that your car is going to start without ever really thinking about it. You believe that when you get in it will always start and away you go. Your car will not always be reliable, but God is. Do you have that much faith in God right now? Do you know that he is there for you right now? I too have been going through a financially difficult time due to my husbands unexpected serious illness. you need to look at your money problems in increments and do what you can to solve them. Its just one of those BIG bumps in the road you will have to climb over...it will be okay, God is carrying you

 

[dizcrazy]

Yes, I have felt that way at times. Our house was on the market forever, and we watched other people put similar houses on the market and sold them right away. We had car repair bills, and a flooded basement, and then we owed money in taxes for the first time ever! 5K in fact!

I kept asking DH what next???

The problem is that all of your bad luck and bad weather is raining down all at once. It WILL get better.

I will say a prayer for you. Know that you are not alone.

 

[eliza61]

My dad had a saying "When you reach the end of your rope, simply tie a knot in it and hold on".
LittleRoo, you are not being punished you are simply have a rocky year. If you live long enough you will have them. Personally, I think God loves you and is not going to give you and your dH more than you can handle. I'm sure there are plenty of people on this board who are money & religion smarter than me but I just don't feel God works that way (I haven't been the best on tithing either and there are some people who are really great teachers, myself I stunk at it)

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

Most of the time when I am punished financially it is solely through my own VERY stupid mistakes or bad choices.

God helps me to learn from them, I don't think he's "sending" them...

 

[Mkgaapril]

just remember....when you hit bottom theres no where to go but up....hang in there.....go for a walk with hubby...pack a picnic and talk..work it out and don't let go...

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Go read the "Footsteps" poem.

I don't think God punishes us financially but I do believe that he blesses us when we tithe if we do it with a giving heart and not for hope of a gain.

My Mom always told me growing up that the devil always picks those whose faith is strong to test them.

Things will get better!

 

[budbeerlady]

I dont believe that God punishes that way. I know when it happens and I am 99% sure that this is the end of it and I've had it and I just cannot handle anymore. Things get brighter and a month or two later I have a new better perspective on it all. It sucks, I turn to God and voice my desperation even though he knows it already. He points me in directions and lines up people for me to meet and assist me.

Our house loan had a demand feature I didnt realize what it was and what it could mean. We were not behind, we had the loan for 7 years when the bank sent us a letter giving us 90 days to come up with the $$$. They had demanded the loan be paid in full. We didnt have the $108,400.

This was in Feb 2007. I was in a panic. I did nothing really wrong but I was going to lose my home. My credit was not the best due to some mistakes I had made when I was younger. (Hence the crap loan with the demand clause....) I didnt think I could get a loan to save my life. (The current note holder had offered to refinance us do to our good standing with them. Like I wanted to do that!?!?!?!?) I walked into my local bank branch that I had my very meager savings account in to ask about refinancing. I was so scared I was going to be denied. The song "I can only imagine" by MercyMe was on the easy listening station. I took that as a good sign, life sucks but someday I will have an amazing home. The bank officer took me back and I started to tell my story. She asked some information and started to laugh alittle. She is my Father in laws cousin. They had just gotten together at my husbands Grandparents that weekend for Sunday dinner. We talked some more and she said she would call me that week.

She called me back, said we can do the loan but I need to get her a copy of the house paperwork, payoff total from my other bank, etc. The house paperwork was missing, I had to go to the secretary of states office to get it. But we had a time crunch also to try and close this all off and get it done. The same song, I can only imagine was playing on the Secretary of States office sound system. They found my paperwork and I had it a week later.

Then my stink-en car broke down, I was really upset, I have no money left in the bank for a huge repair. The lady calls about my car, its $216 to fix, I can pick it up that night after work. I started laughing when I got off the phone and grabbed my check book. I had $216.50 in my checking account, that was my balance that morning after paying my bills for the week. (I keep that in my checkbook to remind myself...)

Waiting to close at the bank at lunch, I am still nervous this wont happen. The same song plays on the bank overhead system. Sometimes God smacks me on the forehead and tries to get me to listen, I dont so he has to smack me harder. But in the end it was wonderful. We have a lower interest rate on the house than we had been paying. Our payments are lower and its a shorter term. It looked so bad in the beginning, but after a year I can look back and say I am so blessed.

Good luck OP! I will keep your family in my thoughts thru out the day.

 

[tonilea]

Honestly, I don't know the answer to your question, I have wondered it myself many times.

But I do know that I love my child beyond what I ever imagined. I know that I would do almost anything to protect him. I also know that sometimes I let him get hurt (just a little) if it will protect him in the future or it will teach him something. It hurts me to do it, but in the long run I think it is for the best. KWIM?

I think our Heavenly Father also allows things to happen. I don't know that he "sends a swarm of locust", but he lets us get hurt if it will teach us something or draw us nearer to him.

 

[ForTheLoveofDisney]

Littleroo

I do NOT believe that God is punishing you financially. I'm not sure why you are under such a heavy burden. I believe that God will bring you through though. Not wanting to teach Sunday school next year has nothing to do with it either. You are just tired of teaching. My husband took this year off from working with youth group. He was tired and burnt out after many years.

We have had periods where we could barely feed ourselves, much less tithe. God was still faithful. He is not punishing you for that.

I know that as humans we want answers for everything, and if you believe in a creator then it is hard not to feel like you are being taught a lesson for something. But He may looking for you to trust Him in your faith. Trust that the financial mess will slowly work its way through, trust that with prayer and care for one another your marriage will work out to be even stronger, trust that if you truly "cast your worries upon Him" and trust that He will direct your paths, that it will be all right. I will pray for you. God is still there. He sees every tear that falls from your eye and loves you. Just keep giving your worry and pain to Him, read your bible to help you find comfort, believe that it will get better and it will!

Amen what she says!!!

Littleroo I just want to give you a !! You are not alone and I HAVE been here!! When my DH was an owner/operator and in business for himself I likened our situation to the 7 plagues!!!! It was one thing right after another! Poor DH was so distraught over our plights that one day, after church, after hearing the sermon about God asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac my husband (in deep despair) said, "I think God is sick and twisted and just mean." He then went on to really tell me from his heart how downtrodden he felt!

I mean, you just wouldn't BELIEVE what we had been going through! Just a little snippet of that time. . . He started hauling grain because grain was "where the money was" and shortly thereafter the grain got bowevils and all of the grain had to be destroyed (whcih meant NO money coming in but money going out), so he turned to hauling stone cause "stone was where the money is". Don't you know the quarry he was hauling from had a shortage or stopped making a certain type of stone and he had to go 160 miles (= gas and more wear and tear on equipment but NO more money coming in from the extra miles) roundtrip out of his way to get the stone for nor more pay. So then he went to hauling waste water because (YUP, you guessed it) "waste water was where the money was" don't you know in 2006 we went 60some days w/out rain??? And the water DRIED up?? And then, when it did rain it didn't rain again for 60some days! It was a BAD year!! And the bills kept coming in for the business but no money was coming in! That year we owed $13,000 in taxes, the water heater went out and flooded/rotted the floor which needed to THEN be replaced. The car needed $2400 worth of work done to it in that year and countless other problems also happened for us.

It's hard to think positively when everytime you turn around you're being knocked right down! I can completely sympathise.

I have no answer as to "WHY". I don't know why these things happen but alls I can tell you is, if you stay strong you WILL get through this. What doesn't kill us certainly makes us stronger.

I know it's easier said than done, but hang in there and know you're NOT alone.

 

[DisneyMOM09]

I don't believe that God is punishing you! HE never gives us more than we can handle! Instead of thinking off all of the challenges you are facing right now, know that you are in a valley and it is time to climb up the side of the mountain to get to the top. When we find ourselves at the bottom we should rejoice because now we get to go back up again! Life is a series of mountians and valleys. Everything cannot be perfect all of the time or we would feel we had no need for God! Thank HIM that he allows the devil to challenge us so that we are renewed in our faith and love for HIM! I don't beieve that God gives us illness and such, but he will allow the devil to challenge us just like he allowed him to challenge Jesus' faith in the wilderness. We need to be steadfast like Jesus and proclaim our faith and know that we can handle all of lifes challanges with God by our side! Have faith! things will get better. Put your trust in the Lord, with him by your side anything is possible!

 

[EthansMom]

I don't think that God punishes people.

I do think that some people continually make bad choices that make their financial lives more difficult. For instance, I worked with a young woman who had just finished college and was working her first professional job. She was supporting her wouldn't/couldn't-get-a-job boyfriend and had 3 or 4 dogs who were left at home alone for 10 hours a day and would fight each other requiring $$$$ in vet bills. When it came to 401k enrollment time, I was telling her how great the 401k was and that she should make sure she contributed enough to get the company match. She told me she wasn't going to put anything in the 401k because she was thinking about saving up some money to send her parents on a nice vacation.

And sometimes people just have a bad year or two. My husband spent the last year suffering from some mysterious health problems. Now that's not budget-related, but his pain and dealing with doctors who'd given up on being able to diagnose DH's problems cost our whole family a lot emotionally. As I told DH in January, "I guess this is the "IN SICKNESS" part of our marriage." Finally, DH got a correct diagnosis and treatment this spring, but we spent a lot of time under the stress of dealing with an illness. I think the important thing when you're faced with a struggle is to stick together and do the best you can do on a day-to-day basis.

Remember, "That which doesn't kill us, makes us stronger."

 

[timzagain]

There are a lot of parallels between your situation and my experiences and I too have often wondered why I am being punished. It took a long time and lots of prayer for me to get to the point where I grasped the idea that I needed to work on things like patience, covetousness, stewardship and the value of being content with the blessings that I have at my disposal right now.

I've also come to realize that some of life's challenges aren't punishments; rather they are God's way of getting me to develop character in a particular aspect of my life. For example, I used to manage money very badly - being without money has given me the opportunity to develop better financial habits.

A pastor once told me that the devil gets awfully busy trying to disrupt the lives of the faithful. If you weren't making progress in your spiritual life and your relationship with God, the devil wouldn't need to waste time trying to get you to fall into a trap or unbelief!

 

[DawnM]

Ok, I have to post this because it is a bit raw in my mind right now.....

I just found out that a 35 year old friend of mine passed away suddenly from an illness that they have yet to be determined. She leaves behind THREE very young children.

So, put this all in perspective.....this is really not that huge of a deal, you WILL get through it.....you and your family have what is most important, life!

Dawn

 

[Pigeon]

No, god doesn't punish you financially. There are a lot of very wealthy jerks out there, and I don't think god has anything to do with it.

Stuff happens. Sometimes we make dumb moves ourselves, and sometimes the economy or other factors affect us.

 

[Not so Dumbo]

I don't think he punishes people either.
My mom sent me an email today with a partial interview with Rick Warren (author of A Pupose Driven Life)
Here's part of it, I think it explains a lot, at least to me it does.
Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just
> coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.
>
> The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character
> than your comfort.
>
> God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making
> your life happy.
>
> We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of
> life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
>
> This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the
> toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.
>
> I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark
> time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe
> that anymore.
>
> Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of
> like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something
> good and something bad in your life.
>
> No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something
> bad that needs to be worked on.
>
> And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something
> good you can thank God for.
>
> You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.
>
> If you focus on your problems, you're going into
> self-centeredness,"which is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of
> the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself
> and onto God and others.

 

[ELLE-TN]

If God leads you to it He will lead you through it. Just keep on depending on him.