Changing My Perspective on Money

I am often reminded of just how much influence the environment we are raised in can shape our perspective on money and generosity. I grew up in a Christian home where I learned Biblical values of money such as tithing and stewardship for which I am extremely grateful. However, I was also raised in a socioeconomic class where cultural expectations such as owning a house to build equity, working a job with a good retirement plan and saving up a nest egg to have security were impressed on me. I thought I had the “right” perspective on money, but I never dared to challenge my thinking by stepping into someone else’s shoes.

All of this changed when I married my husband 6 years ago who grew up in the inner city of Chicago – a very different culture from the one I grew up in – and joined him in his ministry of living among and sharing the love of Christ to those in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. Among other adjustments that come from moving from the suburbs to the inner city, my transition into this new culture challenged my views on money. I found myself working for a grassroots ministry where I did not have a 401K and couldn’t save up for a down payment for a house. And giving? How? I could barely put any money in savings at the end of each month. This left me feeling worried and insecure, like I was failing because I wasn’t on the same financial trajectory that I grew up believing was “right.”

In addition to my own financial needs, I was surrounded by others living with exceedingly more struggles than my own. Yet in the midst of this shared struggle, I saw extraordinary generosity. I witnessed single mothers barely making it, yet they somehow managed the strength to make a meal for a neighbor who was also struggling. I saw men not knowing how they were going to pay their bills at the end of the month yet finding a way to pool their money to come up with $500 to help another friend out. I myself was in a stressful situation, and out of nowhere a single mother gave me a $20 bill. This may not seem like much, but when you are debating whether to use your last dollars for groceries or put gas in the car, a gift like this carries extra value.

The people I was living amongst were not worrying about whether they had a 401K. They certainly did not find security in how much money was in their bank account. But they had a freedom and generosity about themselves that I admired. They didn’t value money and wealth and savings the way I had, and because of that their hands were more open to see opportunity, and to give and meet that opportunity, even if they didn’t have much to give.

I want to live like that too – in a way that is truly sacrificial. I want to lean on Jesus and community to help me in times of need and not rely only on myself to meet those needs. Security in Jesus and life in community has made me realize that I will never truly be in want, regardless of the balance of my bank account. Knowing this has changed my perspective on money and has helped me live much more generously.

Natalie Crockett and her husband, James, are founders of C24/7 Father’s Arms Ministries, and live on the North side of Chicago where they work with high risk families. Mother to 7 (with one on the way), Natalie enjoys spending time with family, running along the Chicago lakefront, and visiting with friends over coffee. She has a heart for urban ministry, especially growing in relationships with others whose stories look different than her own.