Testimony 04-11-2011

  • Nov 4, 2011

Hi Roelof

On Sunday you requested that we write to you if we have a testimonial regarding our finances so I have decided to share ours with you.

Last year (around April) I found out that our finances were not what I had thought. My husband confided in me that we were in fact in very serious debt and that he did not know what to do anymore. He had been hiding this from me in the hope that things would change and that he could fix it on his own. It was consuming him and causing a lot of stress in his life. This was not the first time something like this had happened but this time the sums of money involved were much larger.

Once the initial shock wore off I realized that we were both very much to blame for our situation. In the past I had always reacted badly to news that we were not doing well financially. In his attempt to provide me with the type of lifestyle I felt I deserved, he created debt he was unable to control. I know that my demands and constant moaning about our lack of money caused our situation as much as my husband’s lack of control of our money.

Realising how dire our situation was I knew that crying, throwing a tantrum or fighting about it would not change or solve anything. I knew that we had to change completely and place God in the centre of our lives if we wanted things to be different. I knew that God would continue to teach us the same lesson until we eventually understood what he was trying to teach us. It had nothing to do with money or how much we had. It had nothing to do with the type of house we live in or the car that we drive (although a nice car is my soft spot). Everything became so clear and was put into perspective. A house is just bricks and cement after all. What does it matter if you live in a mansion but your life is falling apart? For the first time in my life I honestly did not care about material things. All that mattered was that we as a family were together, my husband knew that I loved him no matter what and that we were on the right path.

My husband and my relationship changed for the better. Our whole family life improved and we were much happier (and poorer) than we had ever been because the Lord was in our lives.

After going on debt review and working with Peter and Jock through our finances we realised that we were about R1500 short each month, just to cover costs never mind the unforeseen.

So here comes the good part you have been waiting for…. How God totally saved us, not only spiritually but financially too.

For one whole year we received money each month from different sources. My husband would get vouchers from work , tax claims were paid, gifts for my daughter’s birth, a small sideline business opportunity came up for my husband, I received money from my work, birthday vouchers etc. etc. Each month God made sure that we had enough to make it through. Each month I would wonder where we would get money from this time and each time God provided. Month after month, for a whole year we were taken care of. The Lord gave us enough time to learn how to work with our money properly and how far a little money could really go.

Although devastating as it was at the time, if it had not happened, my family and I would not be where we are now. The relationship between my husband and me may not have survived and we would all have suffered if God had not opened our eyes to the truth. I thank God every day for teaching me how to work with money and to have true appreciation for the value of every cent. I am so grateful that our focus has shifted from material worth to spiritual worth and that we can all have a true relationship with the Lord our Saviour.