Does buying pens and other office supplies have anything to do with faith?
I didn’t think so until last night. In these challenging economic times
when dollars are scarce, it’s easy to give in to the fear that surrounds
us. That fear often masks itself as “caution” and tempts us to hoard rather
than spend.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big proponent of saving, but not hoarding. Saving
is motivated by wisdom, hoarding by fear. Saving means putting a little
away today to have something to spend tomorrow. Hoarding means putting
something away today with the intention of never spending it. There is
a big difference between the two. So that you understand that coaches are
people too, let me tell you a story.
I didn’t realize how far down the fear road I had traveled until I started
ordering office supplies last night. A week ago, I ran out of envelopes
and I had finally got around to ordering them. As I clicked to put the
envelopes into my shopping cart, I remembered that I also needed pens and
highlighters and Post-It notes. Before I knew it, my cart was full; I’d
even thrown in a fax machine, because my current one was on the blink.
As I proceeded to check out, I could feel my heart rate increase…I was
spending money, and I was uncomfortable doing so. After all, we’re in a
recession.
Unemployment is up. Home prices are down. California is going bankrupt.
Woe! Woe! Woe! I almost cancelled my order, but in a moment of clarity
I understood that I needed these things. If my business was to keep growing
and providing excellent service to my clients, I needed all of the supplies
that I had placed in my cart. So I clicked on the submit order button and
I actually felt good. I felt good because by buying these supplies, I was
telling the world (and myself) that I believed my business was going to
grow, not fail.
I felt so good that I finally placed an ad on Craig’s list for a new assistant,
a task which I’d been deftly avoiding for several weeks. I went home that
night feeling much better about my future than I did before ordering those
office supplies. I had invested in my company’s growth, and I had finally
started the process of finding a new employee. It was a good day.
To top it off, during my evening devotion time, Charles Spurgeon reminded
me of God’s directive to the prophet Jeremiah to purchase a field during
a time of Jerusalem’s greatest desolation. Jeremiah did it. He purchased
that field and lived to see Jerusalem vibrant and healthy again. As I closed
my eyes for sleep, I realized that Jeremiah and I had something in common.
Who would’ve guessed that such a little thing as buying pens in a down
economy could be considered an act of faith?
So I invite you to put aside your fear this month and take a leap of faith.
What would you be doing now if times were different? Fixing something,
buying something, going somewhere? Someone once said, “The person who stops
advertising to save money is like the person who stops the clock to save
time.” And I agree wholeheartedly. Don’t wait for things to get better
before doing what needs to be done. Do what needs to be done so that things
will get better. What do you think?
Coach Paul