By Katie Ginn
Christmas 2024 with my favorite people! From left: Katie and Stephen Ginn, my brother Austin and Bailey Eubanks, and my parents, Debby and Cliff Eubanks
I just read a book called “Half Broke Horses,” a true story about a cattle ranching woman named Lily Casey Smith, who was helping her dad break horses by age 6. Lily was the oldest of three siblings, her dad walked with a limp, and her mom was not cut out for ranch life. So Lily needed to be “useful,” and she was.
She also endured a lot of trauma and tough times, which added to her already practical mindset – to the point of making her fearful. After her beautiful sister, Helen, committed suicide in the wake of an unplanned pregnancy, Lily believed Helen’s beauty had been a curse.
Lily resolved never to tell her own daughter, Rosemary, that she was beautiful. That way, maybe, Rosemary would avoid Helen’s fate. Besides, what use was it to be pretty? Beauty couldn’t brand cattle or keep you warm in a blizzard. Lily would rather Rosemary be resourceful than gorgeous. To Lily’s chagrin, her daughter was both.
Fear can make us do (or not do) a lot of things. Out of fear, we fail to tell our loved ones how much they mean to us. Maybe we’re afraid of sounding silly. Maybe we’re afraid if we actually express our fullest delight in someone, we’ll be more heartbroken if we lose them. Maybe, like Lily, we’re afraid we’ll curse someone (or just give them a big head) by complimenting them too much.
But let’s look at how God expresses His love for us in scripture:
‘For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,’ says the Lord, who has mercy on you. – Isaiah 54:10, NLT
The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. – Zephaniah 3:17, KJV
Do not be afraid and anxious, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. – Luke 12:32, AMP
God’s love for us outlasts the mountains and hills. He rejoices and sings over us. He is delighted to save us. And He makes sure to tell us all that. Let’s try and imitate His expressive example with our own loved ones.
This edition of MCL has an emphasis on money and stewardship – how to use the financial resources God has given us on this side of eternity. We share lots of practical wisdom in our cover and feature stories. But let’s not forget what the point of all that wisdom is. The greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40). If our use of money doesn’t reflect that love, we’ve missed the mark. Just as we seek to verbally express our love for others, let’s put our money where our mouth is.
I’m not saying there’s not a practical side. In all things, we need to ask God for wisdom (James 1:5). But I heard someone say recently, “There’s only one thing you can take to heaven with you: People.” Not money or the things it can buy.
We can’t afford to love money very much (1 Timothy 6:10) – but we can’t afford not to love God and people.