Frugal Failure

As I sat down to write this post I had so many ideas to share with all of you.  I wanted to share all of the ways that we pinch our pennies and tighten our belts.   But as I started writing down my ideas, it all began to sound hollow and self important.  I then started thinking about what it really means to me to be frugal.

Why am I trying to be frugal?
What are my motives behind all this "frugality"?
Am I saving money to have money?
Am I trying to keep myself "safe" by having something to fall back on if the worst should happen?
Am I doing this to glorify God, or to glorify myself?

These were hard questions to ask myself and even harder to answer.  As I searched deep within myself I began to see all my false motives behind my frugality.  I am trying to save money to keep myself safe.  I do feel more comfortable with an emergency fund.  My faith is in my ability to save enough money to keep us from some unknown disaster.  As the contents of my motivation spilled forth before me I was truly disturbed.  I had no idea that my "being a good steward" of what God has given me, was really a way of replacing Him in my life.   It was time for repentance, and a change of perspective.

So what now?  Do I give away all of our money?   Do I stop being frugal?  Where is the balance?

I don't think so.  I still believe that God wants us to be frugal with what He has given us.  But the motivation behind the frugality needs to be to give Him the glory and Him alone.  If it is going to feed my sense of security, my pride, or anything else it has become a worthless idol.

Though this was not what I had intended to write for Frugal February.  I'm am so glad my previous plans were thwarted.  Oh, and I will still be posting some frugal tips and tricks.  But this time with an entirely different set of motives!