This Mother’s Day I celebrate the way my Mom
always made sure family finances were not a source of shame. I remember one rare occasion when Dad asked
about the grocery bill. He knew from the pot-roast to the vegetables, everything
had come from the farm.
“How can anyone spend 200 dollars at the
grocery? What else besides flower and sugar do you have to buy?” he asked.
Fearing
that my weekly quota of bottled Pepsi was in jeopardy, I was relieved when Mom
brought out the receipt, schooling my Dad about the benefits of, among many
other things, deodorant, paper towels, bleach, and the little dryer sheets that
reduce static cling.
Years of ministry have taught me to realize
how healthy a thing Mom’s receipt was.
She could account for every dime.
It wasn’t that Dad didn’t trust her.
He did. But that trust was always bolstered on the rare occasions he
asked about an expense and Mom had an answer ready. Purchases were subject to scrutiny.
I know there are boundaries that ought
to be observed in families and that those will differ from home to home; but
secret checkbooks give me the creeps. In
my thirty years of ministry nearly every family scandal I’ve endured with
friends was preceded by secret finances.
Accountability builds rather than undermines trust.
And accountability can’t be dodged
forever. “Nothing in all creation is
hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes
of him to whom we must give account...And He will bring to light what is hidden
in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts.” One day people are going to see exactly what
we do with our money. A little openness
now can prepare us for it.
