This week’s lesson for Relief Society and Elders Quorum comes from the Teachings of the Presidents of the Church, and is entitled ‘Provident Living: Applying Principles of Self-Reliance and Preparedness.’ As always, we begin the lesson by drawing from President Kimball’s life experiences before we start reading his quotes.
If you flip back to the biography at the front of the book, we learn on page xxii that President Kimball started out his professional life as a bank clerk. Perhaps this experience was one of the many reasons he spoke so strongly against debt in his life. As we read in the lesson, he was shocked to see the way that people he knew lived, having seen their finances. “I knew approximately what their income was,” he said, “and then I saw them wear it away. In other words, I saw they were buying their clothes, their shoes, and everything they had ‘on time’.”
He went on to note that he often had to sit down with them at the end of the month, only to find that not only could they not pay off the bill in full, they weren’t even able to afford the installment payments. He could not seem to wrap his head around buying clothes or food on credit. Were he alive in this day and age, I’m sure he would speak out equally vehemently against the electronic gizmos, computers, and jet skis that we also love to pay on.
There are times we make choices based on how we wish to appear, rather than how things are. Perhaps we feel that dressing well (or dressing our kids well) will give others the impression we are successful. Perhaps we worry that every other child in the neighborhood is involved in summer camps, and so we ought to be, as well. Perhaps we want our family (be they in-laws, children, or siblings) to nod in approval at the car we drive.
Financial success isn’t measured by your level of debt. (If you want to see how real millionaires live, check out the book The Millionaire Next Door.) And real success isn’t measured by what we wear or drive. Real success is when you return home to Heavenly Father’s presence with honor, having done all that He has asked you to do, having served where He has asked you to serve and loved those He asked you to love.
I promise, He won’t care what kind of car you drive up in or if you are wearing designer jeans.
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