Name that Dollar

What if every dollar we earned had a name on it?

In the sixth chapter of 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, Jen Hatmaker defined consumerism as spending money on our own desires. Charity, by contrast, she depicted as a river of dollars selflessly sent towards the needs of others.

As I considered the benefits of a spending fast, I realized how utterly disconnected I am from my money. Yes, I budget our money and search carefully for high value purchases as a matter of stewardship. I pay for my goods and services with a debit card, not credit. But the simple fact that I lay plastic on the counter, not cash, has created an imperceptible buffer between me and the monies I spend. I sign the little sheet of slick, white register tape for the sum of my purchase without the effort — or thought — of counting out the dollars necessary to complete the transaction.

Financial radio host and author Dave Ramsey often encourages listeners to give every dollar they earn a name. Essentially, it’s a way to earmark it for a specific purpose in a budget to curb overspending.

But what if every dollar had an actual name on it?

As in Jennifer, Arsen, Mingmei, or Bekele… names of people whose needs I overlook to indulge my own spending whims. What if their faces gazed back at me instead of George Washington’s? Would I be as quick to plunk down those dollars so that I can stock my shelves with multiple varieties of cereal?

A fast is a sacrifice, and the sacrifice has purpose; it is not merely an exercise in arbitrary self-deprivation. Fasting is meant to be an act of humility before God, following the example of Christ (Matthew 4). The act of sacrifice cultivates in us an awareness of God’s goodness and provision for us. The English word sacrifice is a compound of the Latin words for to make and sacred. Our sacrifices are God’s chosen means of providing for those in need, as evidenced by the early church in Acts 2:45. A sacrifice is a holy privilege through which we honor and worship Him, and express the value He places on all His people by sharing our resources to provide for them.

Whether I spend money at seven stores or 70, what I feel most convicted about is how readily, and thoughtlessly, I spend at all. Certainly, curtailing the number of stores at which I could make purchases would eliminate a lot of frivolous spending. But the exercise from which I would glean the most is spending only in $1 bills. I would be forced to connect with each dollar, acquainting myself with whose name is on each.

Some of those dollars have my name and the names of my family members on them. God appointed some of them to be spent in care-taking for our needs. “Our enemy,” as John Stott said, “is not possessions, but excess.” As I count out each one — be it for the luxury  of a new pair of shoes or the necessity of a week’s worth of groceries — I will be required to examine on whom I placed priority in that transaction.

Will I choose to indulge myself in luxury or be an answer to the prayers of whoever’s name is invisibly-inscribed on those dollars?

I pray I will awaken to the profound ability God has given me to help others with the resources He’s given me and choose to not spend in ‘excess.’ By fasting from spending, that unspent money is set apart — made sacred, if you will — ready to be used for His purposes, not mine.

For this is our calling, our holy privilege and duty.

Check out some of my other posts on this topic:
Plates of Plenty
Let the Children Come
Being Boaz: Our Role as the Kinsman Redeemer 

Many thanks to Bloom (in)courage for featuring this post as part of the book discussion on ‘7’– it was a privilege to share with your readers!