Why save?

I got questioned on Sunday why do I save money. I gave the first answer that I thought would be slightly funny and instead I felt like I got slammed for what had seemed to be a harmless joke. Of course, it was in a subtle way. Just felt condemned at that point in time. Words do hurt. It's weird...I always thought that we should respect the views of others (NORMAL views and opinions, not the crazy ones, you know what I mean), but sadly, even in church, that's not true. My answer as to why I save was for retirement. I usually get a good laugh out of my colleagues when I tell them this rather ridiculous reason and I laugh about it too. Haha.

Seriously. Why do I save. There are a million reasons as to why I save. None of them I think is wrong. Neither do I think it's wrong to save. FOR ONCE AND FOR ALL, TO QUENCH THOSE WHO THINK I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO FAITH IN GOD TO PROVIDE FOR MY NEEDS, YOU'RE WRONG.

I don't claim to have experienced any time in my life when there was a serious lack. I was never on the verge of starvation because, of course, Singaporeans don't starve even though they are not well off. But I have experienced being poor. So poor that my parents had to borrow from my meagre savings when I was barely 7 years old to pay the household bills. So poor that we had to pray as a family for the payment of food for the family next week. Again, I emphasize. I was never starved. I did not live in poverty. I lived in sufficiency. Whatever that I had was sufficient. Because God provided.

When my dad switched to his new job with a huge pay cut, I stopped taking pocket money from my parents. I gave tuition to earn my own pocket money. Is that a lack of faith? Did I think that I had to work for money because I had no faith? NO! It was because I had faith that God would provide for me. I gave tuition because it was a viable way to help with the family expenses. I did not expect God to give us money in an envelope not because I did not have faith, but because I choose not to box God up in the ways he should provide. To me, God provided for me by even giving me tuition assignments even though I was just a student. I was just grateful.

How can people understand the reasons for which I save? I quote someone," Believe for a rainy day and you'll get a rainy day." Come on! Do you seriously think I believe in a rainy day? Do you seriously think that I'm just waiting in anticipation for that rainy day to come? I thought you would have more faith in me, as a person. Not even as a friend. Just as a person. In my entire life, I have never WAITED for something negative to happen to me. Sure, bad things happen. Jesus never said that life would be a bed of roses. But I sincerely believe that I would never lack. Regardless of how much I have in my bank account. I don't have to be super clever or quote Bible verses to know from the bottom of my heart that God is going to take care of me. Neither do I have to show off that I have loads of faith with my zero bank account.

The reasons why I save I list here. To be transparent. I am human.

1. Some people are more blessed financially than others. I save because one day should my friends ask me for a loan, I would not only be able to give them freely, but I would be able to give more than is asked for. I want to be there for people financially as well as giving them the love and concern that they need.
2. I save so that next year I can go to Australia to visit my friends.
3. I save so that if God decides that I have finished my mission on earth tomorrow, there'll be something left for my family as well as to cover the funeral cost. Grief is enough without worry about not being able to pay for a funeral. As I said, my family is not well off. We don't own a car or have much savings, but by the grace of God, we live comfortably.
4. I save so that one day I'll be able to get married happily. Isn't it every girl's dream?
5. I save because I hope to further my studies.
6. I save because God may ask me to post an envelope of money to someone who needs it. It would be nice to be used by God, right? It makes me smile just to think that I can make someone happy.
7. Lastly, I save because I hope that if God hasn't come back by the time I'm 62, I really can retire. Harharhar...

I was angry. But I'm not anymore. It's silly. I guess I just wanted to validate myself.

Well...I can only justify myself through Christ...

I'm just grateful.