Buy Once, Cry Once by Phil

Growing up, my family never had a lot of money. I remember many trips to the outlet store for school clothes and grocery shopping at the day-old bakery. Many of our appliances were returns that were thrown away at Sears where my dad worked. He would bring them home, fix them up (I wish he had passed that talent down to me!) and they would last us for years. Don't get me wrong, we had everything we needed, just not a bunch of extras. That's where I learned to be frugal. (No Pam, not cheap - frugal.)

My parents taught me two financial lessons that have served Pam and me well during our 35 years of marriage. First, they didn't believe in debt. Other than the house, if they couldn't pay cash, they didn't buy it. That lesson was never more useful than a few years ago when COVID hit. We had just paid off our house a few months before, so when the world shut down and took our income with it, we had no debt. Other than taxes, insurance and utilities (don't get me started on those!), we could tighten our belts and coast on savings.

The second lesson was equally useful and probably did more to shape my future than any other, financially at least. For larger items we used regularly, we paid extra for quality. We didn't buy the very latest thing that came out, but when we did make a major purchase, we selected something to meet our needs and last far into the future. In the woodworking community (many were raised like me), I've heard a phrase for this practice - "Buy once, cry once." Rather than deal with the frustration of a tool that doesn't do the job and the expense of constantly repairing or replacing it, bite the bullet and buy quality the first time. There is value in the peace of mind, knowing that when you need a tool, it will do the job without causing frustration. To paraphrase Fanny Crosby, "Blessed assurance, my table saw's fine."

There are some people who would benefit from applying this principle to their spiritual life. They live in a constant cycle of worry and fear. When difficult times come, they are back in church, praying and bargaining with God, "Lord, if you'll just get me though this, I promise I'll ______." (Fill in the blank with whatever pious act that will be forgotten when the crisis is over.)

It is incredibly stressful to try to live a "Christian" life on our own strength each time things get tough. Why not "bite the bullet" and go all in? Surrender everything - your finances, your family, your future - to God once and for all and trust Him to take care of the details. Live your life by His strength and not your own. God has a long track record of reliability, just read your Bible or ask a seasoned believer. When it comes to salvation, there is no "lease" option where you throw in a little faith and devotion each month, hoping it's enough so your account doesn't go into the red. It's a one-time transaction with Jesus - your life for His. Then you can have the blessed assurance that Fanny Crosby sang about; assurance that no matter what comes, you'll never have to face it alone. God is bigger than your problems! God is faithful, His love for you is patient and kind. It always protects, so you can trust, hope and persevere. His love never fails!

Salvation is a major transaction. Jesus paid our sin debt by giving His whole life for us on the cross, and He expects us to give our whole life to Him. He went all in, and we must too! Sure, the price of commitment is high, but a long life of joyful assurance is well worth the investment. I guess the saying applies here as well - buy once, cry once. Only this time, they are tears of joy.
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Signed, two happy customers,
Phil and Pam

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