Almost as important as Sex

Mentioning sex in my last entry doubled readership, and given the popularity of sex, this isn't surprising, In marriage, however, there is something equally popular in our world which is more important than sex - money.

The Bible says "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows." *

Money problems have pierced more marriages with many more sorrows than sex problems.  A sexless marriage (technically: intimacy less than 10 times a year) is a symptom - money problems are the root of all kinds of marital pain.  Love of money, mishandling of money, mis-communication about money, mixed motives, conflicting priorities, or dishonesty with money - are causal - they make the mess.

If you haven't gone through a money management course together, you should.  Whether it is a book, a DVD series, a course, or a counselor - what you can gain in moving toward a better marriage is significant.  For Jen and I it happened after 14 years of marriage through Financial Peace University.  

A few items which make marriage better:

• A common language about money
• You both get involved in money
• You control your money rather than money controlling you

Money is a mean master, always demanding more and thriving through the multiplication of insecurity.  If you put in the work to master your money - together - the impact will be life giving is so many ways.


PS.  The day to day tool we use in our household is YNAB.  This software actively helps you get on track financially and plan how you are going to use your money.  YNAB stands for You Need A Budget - how very true!

*1 Timothy 6:10