Why Do I Still Feel Poor When God’s Given Me So Much?

Ever feel like you’re missing out, even when life’s throwing blessings your way? Yeah, I get it. In today’s chat, we dive into the wild world of comparison, especially during the holidays when everyone’s flexing on social media. Why Do I Still Feel Poor When God’s Given Me So Much? Spoiler alert: more stuff ain’t the answer; it’s all about finding peace and gratitude in what you already have. We’ll break down how to kick that envy to the curb and embrace the abundance that’s been sitting right under your nose. So, let’s get cozy and unpack this together, because trust me, you’re richer than you think!

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Holidays can be a real trip, right? You know the drill: everyone seems to be living their best lives on social media, and here we are feeling like we’re missing out. Ralph opens up the conversation with a thought-provoking listener question about why, despite being blessed in many ways, some of us still feel poor. It turns out, during the holidays, a whopping 60% of Americans confess to comparing themselves to others online, leading to that dreaded feeling of inadequacy. Ralph dives into this comparison trap, highlighting that overspending during the holidays is rampant as people try to fit in.

But here’s the kicker: Ralph emphasizes that what’s truly missing from our lives isn’t material wealth; it’s peace that comes from gratitude. He shares personal anecdotes, contrasting those with high incomes who are still anxious with families who have little but radiate joy. His message? Focus on God’s provision and recognize the abundance already present in your life. The heart of the episode is about shifting our perspective from envy to gratitude, reminding us that true contentment comes from appreciating what we already have rather than chasing after what others possess.

Takeaways:

• During the holidays, many folks find themselves overspending just to fit in, which is wild.
• A whopping 60% of Americans compare their lives to others on social media, and that's just sad.
• Gratitude is the key to feeling rich, even when your wallet says otherwise, trust me on this.
• Contentment isn't about getting everything you want; it's realizing all the good stuff you already have.
• We need to stop chasing after what others have and start counting our own blessings instead.
• True wealth is measured by peace and gratitude, not by the size of your bank account.

Links referenced in this episode:

• financiallyconfidentchristian.com/join

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LISTEN...

Episode Transcript

(00:28):
Let's start with today'slistener question. Ralph I know God
has blessed me in so manyways, but during the holidays I start
comparing my life to othersand just feel like I'm missing something.
Why do I still feel poor whenI'm actually blessed? Here's something
you might not know. Nearly 60%of Americans admit they compare their
lives to others on socialmedia. 60%. And listen to this. During

(00:52):
the holidays, one in threeadmit to overspending just to feel
like they quote, fit in. See,we live in a culture that screams
more and more and more, but itnever tells you what you're really
missing. And I'm going to tellyou right now, what's missing isn't
more stuff. It's peace. Thekind that comes from gratitude. Because

(01:12):
abundance isn't what's in yourwallet. We can park right there for
a second. It's what's alreadyin your life. So let's talk about
how to embrace the abundancewe already have on today's show.
This is Financially ConfidentChristian, your daily dose of gospel,
grounded insight and faithdriven tips to help you break the
cycle of financial shame with confidence.

(01:34):
Welcome to the show. I'mRalph. Thank you so much for joining
me today as we work to breakthat cycle of financial shame and
do it with confidence. And inmy career, I've been doing accounting
and tax work for over 30years. Makes me feel old when I say
that. But here's the thing Iwill tell you. I've seen folks with
six figure incomes. You wouldthink, oh, these people have arrived.

(01:55):
They don't want for anything.But they didn't have peace. They
were still anxious, they werestill striving after something. But
I've also seen families withvery little I'm talking about, you'd
be like, man, those folks arepoor. But they radiated a peace that
I could only hope to achieve.And it helped me learn something.
When I focus on God'sprovision and this is what I want

(02:18):
you to do today, your heartfills faster than any bank account
ever could. And I want to tellyou a story. Today I work with a
young couple. This youngcouple made modest incomes, but man,
they were stewards of what Godhad given them. They lived debt free.
They lived joyfully, theylived in peace. Never forget, they
came in one time for gettingtheir taxes done. And I said, you
folks just have so much peace.They're always smiling at each other.

(02:41):
You could tell this was amarriage. There was love, there was,
there was a great deal of joyin this. And I said, you know what's
your secret? And the wife, shesaid, ralph, I'll tell you what it
is. She said, you're nevergoing to believe it. She said, we
stopped chasing what everyoneelse had and started counting what
God already gave us. Justthink about that for a second. That

(03:03):
was the secret sauce. Shestopped chasing what everyone else
had. Are you chasing whateveryone else has? I love what Pastor
Andy Stanley said. Contentmentisn't the achievement of all you
want. It's the realization ofall you already have. I want to say
that again because you got toreally lean into that. Contentment

(03:23):
isn't the achievement of allyou want. It's the realization of
all you already have. See, Icould stop recording right now because
there's the answer. But let'sget back to the question. Why do
I still feel poor when I'mactually blessed? And I want to tell
you why that is. But betterthan, I'm going to tell you how you
can change that. It all startswith gratitude, because gratitude

(03:45):
grows abundance. I'm gonnaencourage you right now, pause to
thank God. Thank him forwhat's already in your hands. It's
real easy to say, well, Lord,I don't have what my neighbor has.
I don't have what my friend atwork has. I don't have that shiny
new car. I don't have thatbeach house. I don't have those luxurious
vacations. It's so easy not tosay God, but I have a roof over my

(04:06):
head. I have loving family. Ihave a job, my health. But when you
pause and thank God, you'regoing to start to see something.
You're going to start to seejust how rich your life already is.
And if you're hearing my voiceright now, your life is already rich.

(04:27):
Second thing, I'm going toencourage you to do what my client
decided to do. Stop comparing.The comparison trap is destroying
us. 60% of people admit theyare comparing themselves with others.
Every time you scroll andcompare, guess what you're doing.
You're subtracting from yourjoy. You're just giving it up. You're
just saying, lord, I got to gofind something else. I got to go

(04:49):
look at other people. You havejoy in your own blessings. Stop comparing
yourself to everybody else.Now, listen, I know it's easy for
me to say that, but let meconnect my heart to you right now.
I feel the same way you dobecause I find myself doing that
same thing. I'm out therescrolling it. Why does this person
have this? Why do they havethis boy? They have the Perfect family.

(05:09):
My family's a disaster. Butthen I have to just stop and say,
wait a minute, that's theirrace. God's given me joy in other
areas because we don't knowwhat's going on behind a curtain,
as they say. Which leads me tothis. You got to stop defining your
wealth in traditional culturalterms, because you can have money

(05:32):
without meaning. My wealthyclients, a lot of them have money
without meaning, but you cannever have meaning without gratitude.
Just think about that for asecond. You can have all the world
will ever give. You can havebuckets of cash, you can have bank
accounts full to the brim. Butyou'll never find meaning if you

(05:56):
don't have gratitude. And itall begins with stewarding what the
Lord has given you, becauseGod has entrusted you with resources.
I say this on the show all thetime. What you have is not yours.
People will send me emails.People will send me direct messages.
Ralph, how dare you say that.I work hard for what I have. Fine.
You work hard for what God hasgiven you. Work hard to steward it.

(06:21):
Well, he's teaching usfaithfulness. He's not teaching us
envy. That's the big hairytakeaway right now. When you're out
there comparing yourself toother people, what are you really
doing? You're building envy.The Lord doesn't want envy for you.
He wants you to realize thathe's given you these resources. He's

(06:41):
given what you can handle. Nowyou might say, but, Lord, I want
more. Okay, that's fine. Buthe may not give it to you. He's promised
you provision, not comfort.But recognize God's abundance. Because
think about peace. What peacedo you have in your life? The breath.
The very breath that you takewhen you put your feet on the floor

(07:02):
this morning. The family thatsurrounds you. And maybe you're in
a struggle. I was in thatcircle I talked about on yesterday's
show when my wife and Iseparated and family felt far away.
But there are times in my lifeI can tell you right now that maybe
your family is Jesus Christhimself. And that's okay. He'll be
there for you. He gives youpurpose. All these things that wealth

(07:26):
can never buy. You'll neverfind a credit card that will give
you more than what the Lordcan give you. Let's get right into
the Bible today. I got twoverses for you today. The first one's
from First Timothy, chaptersix, verse six. It says this, but
godliness with contentment isgreat gain. Godliness with contentment.

(07:48):
There's that word again.Contentment. Gratitude and Hebrews,
chapter 13, verse 5. Keep yourlives free from the love of money.
A lot of people misquote that.Lives free from the love of money.
Didn't say away from money.But let me continue and be content
with what you have, becauseGod has said, here's the bedrock

(08:08):
you can rest your life on.Never will I leave you. Never will
I forsake you. Listen, that'sa savings account. That's a high
yield money market accountright there, isn't it? I will never
leave you, nor will I forsakeyou. Let's pray together, Lord, as
we come right now. We know theassurance you've given us in your

(08:30):
word. So open our eyes, Lord,to the abundance that we already
have around us. Help us tofind joy in what you've already provided.
Not what I wish I had. Notthat envy, not that comparison trap.
Help me to understand thatyou've already given me so much,
Lord, and I am truly gratefulfor those things. So teach me to
measure wealth by peace, notpossessions. Help me to start every

(08:54):
day with gratitude. And I askthis in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Okay, you ready for youraction item for today? Each morning
this week, I want you to doone simple thing. I want you to write
down one blessing that youoverlooked yesterday. Have a pad
of paper, use your phone,whatever that looks like for you.
Just write down one blessingthat you didn't think about yesterday.

(09:15):
And then thank God out loud.Before you do anything else today,
just think of those thingsthat the Lord has already blessed
you with. Breath, peace,family, a roof over your head, a
job, ability to do things thatsome people. Listen. There are people
in the world right now thatare struggling for a place to live.
There are people right now inthe world that are struggling from

(09:37):
where their next meal is goingto come from. If you don't struggle
there, thank God for that. Andif this message spoke to your heart
today, I want you to join. Wejust launched a thing called the
Financially ConfidentChristian Community. And it's more
than just a way to support theshow. Sure, you can support the show.
There. There are ways to dothat. It's bigger than that, though.
It's a space where we can growtogether, where we can share encouragement,

(09:57):
we can lift each other up, andwe can live out God's plan for financial
freedom and true spiritualfreedom. And you can learn more by
going to financiallyconfidentchristian.com join. And
together we're helping otherpeople find peace. We're helping
people find purpose. Butbigger than all those things, we're
helping them find confidencein Christ again. That's at financiallyconfidentchristian.com/join

(10:19):
why don't you join me todayand remember this. The world says
you don't have enough, but Godsays you already do. Gratitude turns
not enough into more thanenough. You're already rich in his
provision. Let's all decide tolive like it this week. Go out there
today and be a financiallyconfident Christian. Stay financially
savvy, God bless you, and I'llsee you on tomorrow's show.