A Want Or A Need?
We Can Learn A Lot From History …
Interesting times are before us! Watching what is going on in the world surrounding me causes curiosity within. I’ve heard of many different financial times in history: the great depression, recessions, and financial prosperity but without a doubt we have lived in an abundant season that has drawn to an end. The blessing of extremely low interest rates never lasts forever! We have seen a major shift with fuel prices, interest rates, the housing market, high inflation, product shortages, price of living costing more, high energy rates and the list could go on! Who would have guessed that a lot of these are factors derived from Covid? Nonetheless, I don’t believe we have seen the peak of it yet.
When we study, look and review history we can learn a lot. The biggest thing to remember is that people have gotten through it and so will we! It’s hard to predict the impact or the depth of influence that the next season will bring. It’s wisdom that causes you to begin to look to safeguard yourself now. This is a season to be creative.
This is a time that we as a nation need to be smart. We are already facing financial difficulties that will require us to make cuts and recognise the difference between needs and wants. What’s the difference? Needs are what you can’t live without, a necessary to live and function whereas wants are everything else!
In generations past they lived by their needs first and wants second. Plainly, if they couldn’t afford it, they wouldn’t have it! Many of today’s lifestyles are based and filled with wants. We are seeing evidence of many people living in crisis or debt trying to keep up while still fulfilling their wants and when they can’t fulfil their needs their hands are out looking for someone to cover their shortfall. This is a dangerous place to be in. The generation that has gone before us has experienced hardship and they learnt the necessary difference between needs and wants and adapted accordingly. They survived the challenge before them! We need to learn from history!
Adaption is the key to challenge. Without adapting to what is happening, greater levels of suffering will be experienced. Creativity is a necessary tool when faced with challenges and adversities. “Life” in this world is challenging! In my family we say, “we cannot change or control what happens to us, or the trials we face, we can only determine our attitude through it all”.
Now is the time to act! Preparation is the key! Those who fail to plan, plan to fail! We need to understand the difference between our needs and our wants. Now is not the time to increase debt, now is the time to reduce it. I am not a fan of credit cards, or buy now pay later systems, I choose rather to save now and buy later and to also have an emergency fund.
Over past years my wife and I have made cuts, paid off debt and cleared unnecessary burdens to try and place ourselves into a strong financial position. It has taken discipline, self-control and determination, but this has led us to a positive position. We don’t view debt as a positive but rather we see debt as (sometimes) a necessary tool to be used to better position your life, not a tool to give the appearance of a better position.
We don’t wear masks or pretend – we are as real as we can be! Our motivation is to better position people to see them improving their lives not just for themselves but for their families, their children and their children’s children; to see them build and develop their communities. I believe strong communities are based on strong families and strong families are based on positive outcomes based on positive structure based on positive messages.
We need strong communities now more than ever, but society wants to look good to give the appearance that it has it all together. It is more worried about how many followers it has rather than what it is building.
Sometimes in life we are so focused on what we want, we miss the things we need. I encourage you to assess your needs and wants. If you need help, let us know and we can help. All you need to do is start where you are!
By Peter Hartley
Senior Pastor, Dunamis Church
