Funding the Habit

I’m not sure I should have said it, but on the spur of the moment it seemed funny.  I wanted to emphasise my need to earn extra money, but I realised that my words could have given a totally false impression of me, and of my lifestyle.  So when I told the man behind the desk that I needed to fund my habit, I quickly followed up by adding, “I have this habit of eating!”  It was a lame joke and, thankfully, was soon forgotten.

The expression ‘funding a habit’ is almost exclusively related to drug-related crime, but, as we approach this year’s early start to Lent, I want to examine these two key words a bit more deeply.  Many a lottery winner (but not all, I acknowledge) will confirm that the sudden possession of unexpected funds can make life completely unmanageable.  Every dimension of life suddenly becomes unfamiliar: the daily economies that one previously exercised almost unconsciously are now unnecessary, and one almost feels obliged to look around for things on which to spend money.

The Bible has little to say about winning the lottery, but it does contain a surprising amount about money.  St Paul cautions, for example, that, “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Tim. 6:10), which certainly concurs with the action of the drug-addicted thief.  We know that God doesn’t want us to go without good things: “a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.” (Luke 6:38), but these words come in the midst of Jesus’ teaching about generosity; look at the rest of the verse to see what conditions are associated with this blessing. 

So we learn that wealth carries with it responsibility.  But wealth is not always a great sum.  On another occasion, Jesus watched an old woman putting her two coins into the Temple treasury, and observed that, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others.  All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (Luke 21:2).  St Paul has some advice about our priorities with money, which many Christians adopt in their own lives.  He writes, “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income” (1 Cor. 16:2).  Paul was specifically addressing the needs of fellow believers in Jerusalem, but isn’t this the policy we should apply to our support for church and missions generally?

As our thoughts pass from the funds themselves to the way we use them, let’s just think of habits.  It’s very easy to drift through life without a firm plan, whether in respect of career, social development or finance.  However, people who have developed particular habits, like reading the Bible and praying daily, or apportioning a ‘God-slice’ of income as a first priority, generally find life much easier ... and they recognise that this is due in no small part to letting God influence all the decisions they make.

So, is it time to take up some new, God-focused or Bible-based habit for Lent ... and beyond?