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We are all barraged by advertising seeking to remove some of our money from us. We have to develop sales resistance or we’d all be bankrupt in 24 hours. But it’s hard. Not only do advertisers work overtime at tempting us to indulge our passions and fantasies, but easy credit seduces us into borrowing ourselves into huge debt.
Learning how to say no to yourself is an exceptionally valuable skill. When my mother and her sister were young during the Great Depression, they used to beg their papa for treats and store items they’d see while riding in their car. “Take a good look,” he would say as he kept driving. They didn’t like it at the time, but later they came to realize the value of learning to control their appetites.
“In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has” (Proverbs 21:20). Cultivating the grace of self-denial means that you will likely be spared the stress of living on the edge of financial ruin all the time.
Do you control your appetites . . . or do they control you?
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