. . . pudding,” my Great Grandma, “Maa,” as I lovingly called her, used to say. She was pointing out that the result is what proves you were right or wrong about something.
Years later I heard myself often saying to moms that saying you love God more than anything else, or that your family comes before your favorite hobbies, is one thing. But, that the real proof of who occupies your thoughts the most is in your day timer – in how you spend your time. And, your bank account withdrawals can prove or disprove your belief that your family is more important to you than your hobbies – in how you spend your money.
This makes me think of Matthew 6:19-21 where God says:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy; where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Here Jesus is saying that the proof of where your heart lies is in your bank account spending records. He says this is what shows what you really love much more than any of your words do.
God says we can find out what is really in our hearts not by what we say or even do. It’s not by what others say about us. You can see what is in your heart by looking at how you’re spending what you have. That is what really reveals where your heart is.
I’ll tell you what, every time I think about how I spend my time and money I am convicted of my shortcomings. Because, when I look at it that way, it is very clear that things are unbalanced and I am spending too much on the things that aren’t eternally valuable.
If most of our financial records point to ourselves – spending money on us – stuff that won’t go to heaven with us, then it’s time to redo our finances so that we are spending our time on the things that we know really matter most:
- our relationship with our Creator
- our marriage
- our children
- our work at home
Jesus is saying that storing our treasures in heaven is us investing in the things in our lives with eternal value. Cleaning dirty diapers, wiping running noses, kisses on an owie, and running a nourishing home are how you show Him that He has your heart.
If you want your life to be significant and satisfying, you balance your bank account with heaven in mind. And, that’s where you can eat all the pudding you want.
