Lesson #11 in our Spencer W. Kimball manual this year was entitled, “Provident Living – Applying Principles of Self-Reliance and Preparedness.”
President Kimball had the opportunity to work both at a bank and a store before his call to the apostleship, and he was awestruck at the amount of things people bought on credit. (In this lesson, he uses the phrase “on time,” meaning that the payments would be made over time, but I prefer to say “on credit,” so as to be perfectly clear.) He said it amazed him to see people walk down the street wearing clothes and shoes that weren’t paid for, eating food that wasn’t paid for, and then coming to the end of the month and not having the money to make the payments on the loans they had taken to acquire those things. He learned from their examples the great importance of budgeting and careful planning, and the dangers of being spontaneous and imprudent.
We have been commanded by the Lord to be self-reliant. We are responsible for our own emotional, spiritual and financial well-being. We should never shift the responsibility to someone else, unless we are rendered unable to take care of it ourselves. It is our duty to provide for ourselves and our families. “The highest achievement of spirituality comes as we conquer the flesh,” President Kimball tells us. As we deny ourselves of all impulsive purchases, we take a step closer to Godliness.
We are encouraged to grow all the food we are able to on our own property. Miriam wrote a blog a short time ago about planting a garden – this counsel also comes from President Kimball. As we grow our own food and learn how to preserve it, we are practicing those principals of provident living that bring us closer to the Spirit. We will be blessed for having the food, but we also will be blessed for being obedient.
We should have our two year food storage, and we should work for what we get. Working is a spiritual necessity and is the Lord’s way of building our self-esteem. President Kimball asks us to teach our children to work, to make sure that they do their homework and all their chores. They should follow our example in this, so we should set a positive example for them.
As we learn to be careful with our money, to spend less than we make, and to be good stewards of the things we have been given, we will be truly blessed for our obedience to the Lord’s commandments on these matters.
Related Blogs:
Forgiving Others with All Our Hearts
Fortifying Ourselves against Evil Influences