October 24, 2024 • 30 mins
What if the real treasure isn’t found in your bank account, but in the love and relationships you nurture? Join Shay Cook and Vanessa McNelley as they embark on a heartfelt exploration of what it truly means to prioritize love over material wealth. Inspired by Matthew 6:19-21, we reflect on the eternal versus the ephemeral, sharing personal stories that lay bare the impermanence of earthly possessions and the profound value of love. Through these narratives, we reveal how aligning our financial choices with our faith can lead to a life rich in purpose and fulfillment.
Imagine a life where generosity and faith guide your financial decisions, much like the inspiring example of a grandfather who finds joy in giving despite having little. We discuss how this mindset can transform your life, bringing true abundance and contentment that material wealth often fails to deliver. By contrasting the lasting nature of love with the fleeting allure of possessions, we encourage listeners to reevaluate their priorities, recognizing that while love may not foot the bills, it enriches life in unparalleled ways.
As we navigate a world filled with challenges, we emphasize the importance of compassion and empathy, urging a shift away from materialistic pursuits. Through poignant personal stories, including the heartrending loss of a beloved pet, we underscore the necessity of understanding and respecting others. Our conversation highlights how spiritual money management—rooted in religious principles—can guide us towards financial decisions that genuinely reflect our values. By choosing to approach finances Yahweh's way, we invite you to discover a more meaningful and connected life.
💸⛪🕍📿💵
Our podcast is proudly sponsored by Crusaders for Change, LLC (C4C) and hosted by our CEO and Founder, Mrs. Shay Cook. At C4C, we provide customized corporate financial wellness programs for businesses, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. Our services are tailored to create happier, healthier, and more productive work environments. We also empower individuals and couples to overcome debt, improve their credit, boost savings, and more. Ready to learn more about how C4C can impact your life? Contact us today at https://www.crusaders4change.org/!
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Music by: Lamonte Silver - Owner of essentialmusicclub.com | Previously by ROA - roa-music.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Shay (00:03):
Ever felt those awkward vibes when religion and money
come up?
You're not alone.
Welcome to Yahweh's Money, thepodcast where we tackle the
crossroads of faith and finance.
I'm Shay Cook, an AccreditedFinancial Counselor, and the CEO
and founder of Crusaders forChange LLC.
Vanessa (00:19):
And I'm Vanessa McNelley, Accredited Financial
Counselor and COO of Crusadersfor Change.
Join us on our journey as wediscuss topics like tithing
saving and conquering debtthrough religious perspectives.
Let's get started.
Shay (00:35):
Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of Yahweh's
Money.
Hey, beautiful Vanessa, how areyou?
I am good, Shay, how are you?
I'm good.
I'm excited about this episode.
We're talking about hoardinglove and not money.
I mean, how many of us can dothat?
I mean, how many of us havedone that right, have hoarded
love or hoarded money and not?
Vanessa (00:55):
love and vice versa.
I'll tell you, I'm not a bigproponent of hoarding anything,
but I can get behind this one.
Shay (01:03):
Well, after the pandemic I think I hoard toilet tissue and
wipes sanitary wipes but otherthan that I'm pretty good.
Vanessa (01:10):
So that's where they've all gone, Shay.
Now I know the secret Guilty,I'm guilty.
Shay (01:16):
Well, everyone.
Today's episode is all aboutprioritizing what matters love
over money.
Vanessa and I will explore theidea that if you were more
focused on earthly treasuresthan on God's eternal gifts, we
might need a heart check.
From our spending habits to howwe treat others, we uncover
(01:37):
practical ways to align ourfinancial choices with our faith
.
If you're ready to transformyour relationship with money and
love, then you definitely needto stick around.
So Matthew 6, 19 through 21,the message version tells us
don't hoard treasure down here,where it gets eaten by moths and
(01:58):
corroded by rust or, worse,stolen by burglars.
Stockpile treasure in heaven,where it's safe from moth and
rust and burglars.
It's obvious, isn't it?
The place where you treasure isis the place you will most want
to be and end up being.
Vanessa (02:18):
Amen, amen, oh goodness , when you're reading that, it's
like you can visualize somebodycoming in and stealing your
most precious things.
Shay (02:27):
Yeah, my precious.
I'm a Lord of the Rings fany'all.
And I want to add one morething from the scripture notes
of verse 621.
So the same passage here ofMatthew.
It talks about how Jesus madeit clear that having the wrong
treasures leads to our heartsbeing in the wrong place.
(02:47):
Amen.
What we treasure the mostcontrols us, whether we admit it
or not.
If possessions or money becometoo important to us, we must
reestablish control or get ridof those items.
Jesus calls for a decision thatallows us to live contently
with whatever we have, becausewe have chosen eternal value
(03:11):
over temporary earthy treasuresAll right, preach, preach,
preach.
Vanessa (03:17):
So yeah, so have you ever had anything taken from you
, like anything very valuablestolen from you, or or that has
been lost in fire, or anythinglike that?
Shay (03:27):
I've actually been pretty blessed with that.
So thank you, jesus.
I don't know why my mind goesback to oh.
I think I know why because wewere in a car the other day and
there was a song that came on.
I was like I remember that CDand somebody stole my CDs and my
daddy had to go get them.
We were in Germany, I was ateenager and we were at a dance
and I let somebody borrow someCDs to play at the dance and
(03:49):
that man, that boy at the time,did not give me back my CDs and
I was so mad about that.
So that was minor.
But I know people, especiallyin the climate that we're in
right now, are losing majortreasures and that can be really
hard.
Vanessa (04:01):
Have you, I have not either.
I've had somebody break in mycar a few times and they usually
just have ransacked things, butmy, my aunt, she had somebody
go into her house and burglarizeher home and she literally
walked in on the situation.
Shay (04:17):
Oh, my God.
Vanessa (04:17):
So she just came in the house she always had her
certainties where she would docertain things and she literally
backed out the house becauseshe knew something was wrong and
all of her jewelry was taken,everything.
And I remember how hard that wasfor her and it just it still
bothers her to this day, and itwas probably 15 to 20 years ago
when that happened.
(04:38):
So I can't even imagine howthat would feel.
But you know, we're talkingabout something the opposite of
that right now and somethingthat can't be taken from us or
stolen.
So you know, we know God wantsus to be good stewards of the
wealth or the income or themoney or the things that he
gives us, but he just doesn'twant us to prioritize it.
(04:59):
And I think that's hard for alot of us because we kind of
fixate on things as humans andwe fixate on okay, well, I want
to do the right thing, I want todo this, but if our hearts and
our minds are truly in the rightplace and we go to that place
of love, we don't really thinkabout those things, and those
things matter less asmaterialistic items.
Shay (05:21):
They really do.
I mean God is so good with that.
I mean, if you really know loveand experience love, and then
you kind of veer left and likeyou're focused on the money and
the fame and the publicity.
Whatever your thing is,whatever your idol is right,
your possessions you know, thenyou, once you go back to the
love part, you're like I shouldhave stayed over on this side
(05:42):
because it just feels better.
The competition is low, your egois tamed, your spirit is
vibrant.
I don't know.
It just feels better, it justfeels so much better.
But I understand, money isgreat too, right, but it's a
tool.
It's a tool, exactly.
Vanessa (05:56):
Exactly, and love gives us purpose.
It gives our lives purpose, andmoney can cause an emptiness in
us, and I think we've probablyall been through that thing
where we think we know what wewant and we kind of chase after
this thing and we get there andwe're like whoa, wait a minute,
it didn't fill that void that Ihave in me, like there's still
(06:17):
that void, and sometimes thatvoid even gets bigger.
It does.
It does so if we have a lifefull of love, we have purpose
and we have people around us andwe have a reason to get out of
bed and we're kind of moredriven with all this and there's
this fulfillment within us, andI think that's such a beautiful
thing to think about.
(06:38):
If we're not focused on thestuff or the money or whatever
that item might be, we have allthis room left in us for things
that truly matter.
Shay (06:49):
Exactly, I agree with that .
I know I've experienced thetime in my life where my ego was
out of control and I was tryingto get this promotion, that
promotion, this raise, thatraise.
And then, once I got it, I wasable to accomplish some great
feats with that, like money,like pay off student loans and
all that.
But after I achieved that, I'mlike what's next?
(07:09):
And it's like it's alwayswhat's next, you know, and it's
always, you're always chasing it.
It's like this never endingcycle that is quite annoying.
Actually, with love, it's like,whether you love to travel,
whether you love to help people,whatever you really love, and
you put your passion into andpurpose and, like I said, it
gives you purpose, your family,your friends.
That is just.
It's just.
It's a growing bloom ofamazingness.
Vanessa (07:33):
It just feels good.
It does, you know, and love canactually help us with
generosity too, and helps us touh, to share our resources and
to help others and uplift others.
I don't know if you knowsomeone.
I always talk about mygrandfather and his amazing
spirit and this joy that iswithin him, with his generosity,
(07:55):
and it's all based from love.
He loves other people and God'speople so much that he would
rather give the things that hehas in this world to everyone
else so that they feel securethan have them himself.
And that is an amazing spiritto have this unlimited ability
to say, hey, look, you know, Ihave more than I could ever need
(08:17):
.
Let me give you some.
Let me give you some.
And it's the coolest thing, like, we'll go to his house and he's
you know, he's old school, sohe still still does the envelope
system with his money everymonth and he takes out what he
needs, he thinks he needs forthe month and then most of it,
he gets away at the end of themonth.
He's the cutest thing.
He's like look, I have thismuch left.
What do you need?
(08:38):
Do you want gas for the wayhome?
Do you need this?
And it really brings him thissense of fulfillment and purpose
.
And you see him light up andI'm like I want to be just like
that.
Shay (08:49):
I know I want to be like that too.
I try.
I try to give my first fruitsto a charity or a church or
something.
So that's always continued.
Even when I feel like I can, Itry to be faithful and obedient.
But sometimes you're like, oh,I really want to go do this or
do that.
But I try not to slip up toomuch or I'll try to have
(09:15):
conversations with God like, allright, god, you know where my
heart is.
So I really want to help mydaughter get through college
without student loans.
So can I take a little bit ofthis money from church and
charity to here?
And he's like Shay, I got you.
Little bit of this money fromchurch and charity to here, and
he's like Shay, I got you andit's a, and I'll do that after I
have a conversation and getthat convert confirmation.
Then it's like God alwaysprovides even more.
I just want to just when you'reobedient to God like your
(09:35):
grandfather, no wonder he'sliving still, no wonder he's
still blessed, no wonder he'sgot love around him, because
your grandfather has beenobedient and that is beautiful.
That is a testimony right there.
Vanessa (09:47):
It really is, and it's.
It's cool to see how someonecan live on so little and be so
content and so happy too.
I think that's the other partof this.
You know, it's not like he's amultimillionaire.
You know he has more thanenough, though, and you know
he's so like not wasteful withanything, and I think that
brings on that sense offulfillment and joy too, because
(10:09):
he knows he has more than heneeds.
He's been blessed over and overagain, but when it comes down
to it, he has so much.
He has so much he can justshare, and he loves it.
And it's I, just I love hisspirit with all this Absolutely,
so my mind always just goesback to him you know, but we
think about love too.
We think about how it lasts.
(10:29):
Love is forever.
You know, when you, when youlose somebody or there is
something in your past that youhave truly loved, you don't lose
that feeling.
May change because it's notthere anymore, but you don't
lose that feeling.
But possessions are fleetingand I think that's so hard for
some of us to see that thesethings that we want, they're
(10:51):
just stuff.
It's just stuff and we get inthis point where that stuff
means more than therelationships or the people or
you know all these things and itconsumes us and it becomes an
obsession.
I know when my grandmotherpassed away my dad's mom, my dad
was kind of obsessed with herstuff and he brought her whole
(11:15):
living room set up andreestablished it in our basement
.
First off it was pretty creepynumber one, but it was this
fixation of stuff and to him herstuff was her oh yeah, people
do that, exactly, exactly.
I mean I can remember even aroll of like of paper towels
(11:35):
like you could not use thembecause they belong to her and
all that stuff just sat therefor years and it got old and
would break down because itwasn't climate controlled and
all for years.
And it got old and would breakdown because it wasn't climate
controlled and all these things,and it just disintegrated
basically.
So it's like you have thisstuff that's not going to last,
but those memories and that loveyou have for that person, it's
(11:57):
still there.
Shay (12:18):
But people do it right, they value.
You know, usually it's like achain, a jury, a ring or
something like that that peoplewant to carry on, especially
after somebody passedtraumatically or you know, and
they're like it just remindsthem and they can touch this
ring and like, okay, it reallyreminds me of this person, like
connects you but, like you'resaying, love is forever and
that's in your heart.
You know, I really believe,like when somebody leaves this
(12:40):
or part of their spirit is withyou, especially if they're a
relative, but even if they're afriend or a spouse or something
like, they leave that love inyou and so I know your heart
might be broken after all ofthat, but that's just to me,
even more a sign that you lovethem, if your heart's broken and
feeling for them.
So I mean, when you lose apossession, yeah, you might have
been obsessed about it, but itain't nothing like love.
(13:03):
I mean, when you lose apossession, yeah, you might have
been obsessed about it, but itain't nothing like love.
I mean, I don't know, I chooselove over money any day.
Vanessa (13:08):
So a hundred percent agree.
And you know, and there arepeople who, let's say, something
happens and you know you losesomething or it breaks or
something happens to yourfavorite shirt in the washing
machine.
Some people get so distraughtand so upset over that and to me
I'm like it was just a shirt,it was just a this, a that, like
.
I understand emotions can beattached to that, but it's the
(13:30):
reality of it is.
There are so many other thingsout there that I would rather
have than that $400 sweatshirtor whatever it might be.
You know it's, it's.
There's so many other memoriesor experiences or that love.
It all comes back to love.
Shay (13:44):
But you know some people will say love don't pay the
bills.
Vanessa (13:46):
I just want.
Shay (13:47):
I want to honor those people out there and be like,
yeah, y'all talking about thislove, but yeah, hey, love don't
pay the bills.
Vanessa (13:53):
So I mean you got to work, you got to make some money
, you know, but I think, if youtruly have that love, it
inspires you and it gives youthat motivation to do this.
Shay (14:02):
Oh, that's good, that's a good comeback.
Vanessa (14:06):
But you know we have these experiences with love too.
You know we have familygatherings, we have trips, we
have those intimate moments withsomebody you just really care
about, where it's just theseconversations that you have that
really brings you together andit can deepen that joy than just
acquiring something new.
I mean I would much rather goand sit and have a conversation
(14:28):
under the stars with myboyfriend than us, like go to a
fancy dinner, because we'rereally connecting and we're
we're growing together.
And I think that's what peoplemiss is it's about these
connections, these experiences,these moments that deepen that
relationship and that love,versus just saying here you go,
here's a steak.
Shay (14:47):
That's really good.
I'm thinking about upcomingholidays coming.
We've decided to host the wholeToll family, my dad's side of
family.
We're talking about 60, somepeople, which is crazy, and
we're the first in thisgeneration to do it.
My aunts and uncle and myfather have done it for decades
and I keep on want to do.
You know my and I'm going toshare this with her afterwards
(15:07):
because I'm like oh, I want toput this decoration here, I want
to get this thing here.
And she's like you're doing toomuch.
She's like people just gonnacome over and they're not gonna
remember that you got ornamentslike so I'm like you know,
because you know you watch likethe kardashians and you see them
online and they go superoverboard with decorations.
To me it's kind of wasteful.
I'm sorry because, like, whatdo you do with that every year,
unless you're repurposing everyyear?
But I'm like, oh, we can getsnow coming down fake snow
(15:30):
coming down the hallway, we canhave lights here.
And she's like stop, that istoo much.
And to me what you're saying islike I should be just happy and
in love with the idea of havingmy aunts and my uncles, my
cousins, siblings, parents comeover and have great
conversations, establishinggreat memories, then worry about
(15:50):
having a bunch of expensive,you know, decorations or all
this brand food, you know,because it's really about the
time and the love of us comingtogether and the signify how
we're moving from one generationto another, and me and my
husband are the first to do it,and to me that's really cool too
.
And not to brag, but I'm likehey, like we're, we're stepping
(16:10):
up and saying we want tocontinue these traditions,
family gatherings, because itdoes bring deeper joy, yeah,
yeah.
Then, even gifts, like youdon't, we don't need to give
gifts.
Vanessa (16:20):
The gifts is being with each other Exactly, and I think
people lose sight of all thattoo.
And I know anytime you hostsomething, you're so busy and
you're so caught up in thehosting that you miss out a lot.
I know, like with us.
I have one aunt who alwayshosts Thanksgiving and she can't
do anything in her own mind,she can't participate, she can't
(16:40):
be part of anything and we'llhave this whole day and she'll
be like oh, I didn't know youguys did that or I didn't have
any idea.
X, y, z happened.
And it's like because you're socaught up in making sure
everything's perfect that youmiss out on the love and the
experiences and the conversation, even though what you're doing
is not needed or wanted in thatmoment.
What's wanted is you and yourpresence.
Shay (17:03):
And when we move on now to consideration and empathy,
which I think is a great seguewhen you're talking about
hoarding love and not money,because we do need to consider
other people.
And I added empathy becausethat's a part of this as well.
Like, empathy is the ability tounderstand and share the
feelings of another person.
So empathy is the goal Right,but, most importantly, being
(17:26):
considerate whether it'sthoughtful, concerned, mindful,
kind, compassionate I know Ihave that conversation with a
lot of my family members beingcompassionate, generous, polite
and sensitive.
Vanessa (17:37):
It fosters a and you think about joy and love and I
think all this comes with it.
I think it's inevitable thatyou're going to be compassionate
, You're going to be kind,You're going to be more mindful
if you truly embrace the spiritof love versus hoarding
(17:57):
possessions.
That it just comes natural andI think some of us it's a little
easier than others, but I thinkit's just part of the process.
Shay (18:04):
It just becomes second nature but I think it's just
part of the process.
It just becomes second nature.
So you think people that arefocused on money or not consider
it.
Vanessa (18:13):
I guess that cause that becomes their main focus.
I yeah, I mean I don't thinkit's necessarily a hundred
percent, but I think it's easierto get caught up in those
things and you become less kind,less compassionate, less
mindful, because you're you'rebragging about the things you
have and you're talking aboutthe pretentious things and
you're telling people oh, I havethis.
or I waited in line seven hoursfor the newest phone or whatever
(18:34):
it is too, and we're lesssensitive that way too, because
we're so fixated on the thingswe have versus the things other
people don't have.
Shay (18:42):
I think it puts your ego on blast, which is not a good
thing, right?
So if you're so focused on themoney, compassion is more from
the spiritual level.
It's more from the human spiritlevel versus the ego which we
need.
Ego to be competitive, we needego as a necessary evil.
Unfortunately, I think youcan't leave out the ego.
(19:02):
But the ego can get out ofcontrol so it can take people
down, it can cause wars, it cancause a lot of things, and so
being considerate reallytransforms, transforms
interactions into meaningfulexperiences, and I think that's
key.
Like, again, from the spirituallevel, I'm sure God wants us to
be considerate of other kind ofothers, love others and then
(19:26):
through all of that you know, itturns into a meaningful
experience, something that youcan hold on to.
When your family's goingthrough something, when somebody
passes, you have thoseexperiences, those memories of
that person.
Vanessa (19:39):
So yeah, being considerate is the key.
You do and if you think about,you know you can have the same
conversation with two differentpeople and one person is full of
love and the other person is,you know, fixated on these
worldly things.
The same exact conversation.
It can go two completelydifferent ways.
You know you have thatconversation with somebody who's
(20:00):
more focused on worldly things,you know.
One example that I think aboutis when my dog passed away.
My dog was my little girl andyou know people are like oh well
, you can just get another dog,you can just buy one.
And then you have a conversationwith somebody who's more
empathetic and more consciousand they're like I'm so sorry,
julia is gone and they bring hername into it and they bring
(20:21):
these things into it and theyshow you that they know there
was love there and even thoughthey may not understand it
because some people you knowthat I know do not like dogs at
all and cannot even understandthe fact that I had a dog they
come in with a different mindsetand even though it's not
something that's important tothem, they know how important it
was to you and it changes thewhole encounter.
(20:43):
So if you can come in withthese things and these thoughts
and this love for this otherperson to understand them and
their situation more transformseverything Transforms everything
, yeah, and empathy is huge,that compassion.
Shay (20:56):
But taking it a step further to an empathy, yeah.
People keep going to ask methat when are you going to get
another dog?
I'm still not over my dog and Iheard about Julia.
I cried because that was likemy little doggy too, like I
don't want anybody to die.
I know especially the doggies,you know.
But having that empathy andknowing that was your baby, you
(21:16):
know it's very important.
Titan was my baby Exactly.
Vanessa (21:19):
And there will be.
There will never be anotherTitan, ever Exactly.
Shay (21:23):
And I never try to take that away from somebody like I
have a cousin who actually losta child and I've never compared
it to that, but it's still.
It's heartbreaking either wayand I hope that she would have
empathy for me as I have for her.
And when it comes to these, youknow, consideration it really
helps us recognize and respectthe feelings and needs and
(21:44):
perspectives of others andhaving that love is key.
I mean, again focusing on money.
A lot of people donperspectives of others and
having that love is is key.
I mean, again, focusing onmoney.
A lot of people don't considerothers.
They're all about me, me, me,me, me.
Like what do I want?
It's just becomes this want,want, want, want.
And it's really sad.
Vanessa (21:59):
It sounds like yeah, and you become more selfish and
I think that's just part of allthat, too, is you become focused
on, on inward, like you'resaying and you're not thinking
about.
well, you know, I'm going onthis trip and I'm going to get a
new car and I'm going to do allthese things, and yet my cousin
can't even afford a rent thismonth and they're struggling and
(22:21):
they're working hard, butthey're struggling and you know,
if you're empathetic and youhave this love in your heart,
you're not going to have theseconversations and talk about me,
me, me, when that's going onwith that person.
I know Because you're moreunderstanding the other
situation.
Shay (22:34):
Exactly I'm feeling that way right now with the state of
the world, everything frompolitics to the wars, to the the
storms.
It's like I don't even feelcomfortable buying stuff outside
of food and like basicnecessities, because I'm like so
many people are suffering, somany people are without, so many
people with were without beforeall of this and will be after
(22:58):
this.
It still is just when it'shighlighted, like with these
storms and just getting a littlebit emotional, with people
losing everything and townsbeing wiped off the face of the
earth.
And I know God had the plan andhe uses everything for his good
.
He's not about evil, he's notmaking evil things happen.
(23:19):
He's not, you know, um, butit's still sad.
Like I told my husband the otherday, I'm sitting here talking
about Christmas, I'm sittinghere talking about going to New
York and Philly and all thesegreat things, and I'm like I
don't feel comfortable havingthose conversations, even with
my husband, because people aresuffering.
So that's where I guess I thinkI have the empathy and the
compassion for these people,because I want to give, I want
(23:42):
to support, I want to do what Ican within, at least if it's
just prayers, right, um, prayingfor these people?
Vanessa (23:50):
Um, yeah, so yeah, and you know, and there's so many
ways I think people think, okay,well, I have to do without
everything, so somebody else canhave and that's not the case
either, like we need to have ourour basic needs met, obviously,
and sprinkling some joy inthere too, because God wants
that for us.
And we all have those seasonswhere we're kind of down in that
(24:12):
, you know, down in that trench,and things are hard.
And it might be a season wherewe're having a hard season and
someone else is having aprosperous season, and that's
okay, it's okay.
But when we're having thoseprosperous seasons we need to
look down and see the personwho's in the trench and say how
can I be a part of bringing themout of that?
(24:33):
and we just kind of ebb and flow, ebb and flow with all this.
So that when we're having agood time, we can bring somebody
back up to help um with us youknow, versus always kind of
keeping somebody down, soexactly if we just have that
balance and we know that I'vegot you.
Now, at some point I'm going toneed you to get me.
Shay (24:52):
Yeah, and this consideration creates a more
compassionate and supportiveenvironment for everyone and it
allows us to embrace the loveand grace we call, you know, to
just be our call to embody thatwe're here to just give, and the
grace and mercy God gives us,we should give to others, and
that love and consideration.
So that's where it's at.
(25:13):
It's not about hoarding money,it's about hoarding love.
That's the healthy.
Vanessa (25:17):
Exactly, exactly, and it takes time.
If you're in this place ofworldly possessions and you are
just watching social media andyou know you are just infatuated
and kind of over all this stuff.
It's like, okay, wait a minute,I've got to get back to this,
but it's not going to happenovernight.
It's not going to happenovernight.
It's going to take some time,and that's okay too.
So it's a learning process withall this but, once it becomes
(25:40):
second nature.
And we've embraced all this.
That love and that grace isjust going to be there and it's
you're not going to think twiceabout it.
It's just who you are Exactlyand what a beautiful person to
be around.
I know, you know and when we gowith all this too, we need to
think about being humble and andreally being a part of this and
(26:02):
saying you know, even though Ihave this, I know you're
somewhere else, so let me juststep back, take a second, uh,
and just know that you knowmoney and status.
It can inflate our egos, buthumility can keep us grounded,
amen.
And you think about, well, whatexactly is humility?
And I think a lot of us think,okay, well, it's being, you know
(26:25):
, modest and unpretentious, andI think.
Shay (26:46):
A lot of us think okay, well, it's being modest and
unpretentious and lacking prideor arrogance and it is all of
those things.
Vanessa (26:50):
But it's also being somebody who sits there in a
room and there's 10 people andyou don't stand up and say, well
, I'm really good at that, I cando that, I can do this.
Now, oh, I've got this, I cando that.
That's not humble at all.
So being able to sit back andsomebody will notice, they'll
know that you have XYZ talent orwhatever it might be, it'll
come out when it's supposed to.
But we're not supposed to sitthere and just say I am good at
this and I'm good at everything.
So we have to remember thataspect of humbleness too.
And it also allows us toembrace growth.
When we're humble, becausewe're open to change, because we
(27:11):
know we are not the best ateverything and we have room for
growth and improvement.
And there's always going to besomebody better than us and
that's okay, but we shouldstrive to be better.
Shay (27:23):
I love that.
I know I have gone through thestages where I was not humble my
ego I have a very big ego, solearning humility has been hard
and obviously the environmentGod teaches you humility,
because your ego will getknocked down If it hasn't
already been, it will withhumility.
(27:48):
We understand that everyone hasvalue, regardless of their
wealth and status, and humblepeople approach relationships
with an open heart, willingnessto listen, which really fosters
true friendship andrelationships.
And that's what we need is weneed the love, we need to be
there for each other.
You cannot do life alone.
You need each other, and sothat's the word, the humbleness,
come in the consideration andthe love.
Vanessa (28:08):
Exactly, and I think we've all had those friends too
who are takers, and you know wehave friends who were like you
know they only call you whenthey need something or they need
to talk or vent aboutthemselves.
And then we have those friendsthat we know if we haven't
talked to them in a year, if wecall them, it's going to be a
true conversation.
You're each going to love eachother, respect each other and be
(28:30):
there for each other, andthat's a whole different dynamic
than somebody who's just a youknow a time sucker taker.
Exactly so when we surroundourselves with humble people,
the gift we get back is going tobe immense.
Shay (28:42):
Yeah Well, the people you want to be like you need to
surround yourself with.
So if you want to be like, youneed to surround yourself with.
So if you want to be humble,you know, consider it.
If you want to love, you knowothers and hoard love and not
money, you need to be aroundthose kind of people and you
know, of course, you're going tohave the sprinkle of friends
and family members that are justoutrageously egotistical,
(29:03):
narcissistic.
The list goes on.
You just have have to love allof them and hopefully you can
love it out of them.
But that's not yourresponsibility either.
Vanessa (29:11):
So let me be clear about that.
Shay (29:13):
And so, yeah, you got to have those boundaries, right,
those healthy boundaries.
But yeah.
Wow, this is a lot.
Any final thoughts?
Vanessa (29:20):
Yeah, I would just say, remember that a lot of people
say, when you pass, it's not thethings.
Or spending more time you know,earning money for, for work or
whatever it is that you're goingto wish you had done, it's that
love, those relationships,those experiences that people
wish they had more of.
So while you have time here,take the time to do that.
Shay (29:40):
Yeah, that's your legacy, right?
Leave a legacy of love and notwhen you you know, on the head,
on your headstone it says legacyof love or whatever, something
in the love realm versus thethey all they care about was
money.
Well, thank you all for joiningus for another episode of
Yahweh's money.
We hope you have a wonderfulday.
A big thank you for listeningto this episode.
(30:04):
We hope you found today's chatabout the intersection of
religion and money insightful.
We would love to hear yourfeedback.
Hit that subscribe button orfollow the podcast and please
feel free to leave us a review.
Vanessa (30:17):
Yes, and for the latest Yahweh's money content, visit
us at www.
crusaders4change.
org or find us anywhere youlisten to podcasts.
Until next time, stayfinancially fit and spiritually
inspired.
Shay (30:30):
And remember it's always better Yahweh's way.
Ever felt those awkward vibes when religion and money
come up?
You're not alone.
Welcome to Yahweh's Money, thepodcast where we tackle the
crossroads of faith and finance.
I'm Shay Cook, an AccreditedFinancial Counselor, and the CEO
and founder of Crusaders forChange LLC.
Vanessa (00:19):
And I'm Vanessa McNelley, Accredited Financial
Counselor and COO of Crusadersfor Change.
Join us on our journey as wediscuss topics like tithing
saving and conquering debtthrough religious perspectives.
Let's get started.
Shay (00:35):
Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of Yahweh's
Money.
Hey, beautiful Vanessa, how areyou?
I am good, Shay, how are you?
I'm good.
I'm excited about this episode.
We're talking about hoardinglove and not money.
I mean, how many of us can dothat?
I mean, how many of us havedone that right, have hoarded
love or hoarded money and not?
Vanessa (00:55):
love and vice versa.
I'll tell you, I'm not a bigproponent of hoarding anything,
but I can get behind this one.
Shay (01:03):
Well, after the pandemic I think I hoard toilet tissue and
wipes sanitary wipes but otherthan that I'm pretty good.
Vanessa (01:10):
So that's where they've all gone, Shay.
Now I know the secret Guilty,I'm guilty.
Shay (01:16):
Well, everyone.
Today's episode is all aboutprioritizing what matters love
over money.
Vanessa and I will explore theidea that if you were more
focused on earthly treasuresthan on God's eternal gifts, we
might need a heart check.
From our spending habits to howwe treat others, we uncover
(01:37):
practical ways to align ourfinancial choices with our faith
.
If you're ready to transformyour relationship with money and
love, then you definitely needto stick around.
So Matthew 6, 19 through 21,the message version tells us
don't hoard treasure down here,where it gets eaten by moths and
(01:58):
corroded by rust or, worse,stolen by burglars.
Stockpile treasure in heaven,where it's safe from moth and
rust and burglars.
It's obvious, isn't it?
The place where you treasure isis the place you will most want
to be and end up being.
Vanessa (02:18):
Amen, amen, oh goodness , when you're reading that, it's
like you can visualize somebodycoming in and stealing your
most precious things.
Shay (02:27):
Yeah, my precious.
I'm a Lord of the Rings fany'all.
And I want to add one morething from the scripture notes
of verse 621.
So the same passage here ofMatthew.
It talks about how Jesus madeit clear that having the wrong
treasures leads to our heartsbeing in the wrong place.
(02:47):
Amen.
What we treasure the mostcontrols us, whether we admit it
or not.
If possessions or money becometoo important to us, we must
reestablish control or get ridof those items.
Jesus calls for a decision thatallows us to live contently
with whatever we have, becausewe have chosen eternal value
(03:11):
over temporary earthy treasuresAll right, preach, preach,
preach.
Vanessa (03:17):
So yeah, so have you ever had anything taken from you
, like anything very valuablestolen from you, or or that has
been lost in fire, or anythinglike that?
Shay (03:27):
I've actually been pretty blessed with that.
So thank you, jesus.
I don't know why my mind goesback to oh.
I think I know why because wewere in a car the other day and
there was a song that came on.
I was like I remember that CDand somebody stole my CDs and my
daddy had to go get them.
We were in Germany, I was ateenager and we were at a dance
and I let somebody borrow someCDs to play at the dance and
(03:49):
that man, that boy at the time,did not give me back my CDs and
I was so mad about that.
So that was minor.
But I know people, especiallyin the climate that we're in
right now, are losing majortreasures and that can be really
hard.
Vanessa (04:01):
Have you, I have not either.
I've had somebody break in mycar a few times and they usually
just have ransacked things, butmy, my aunt, she had somebody
go into her house and burglarizeher home and she literally
walked in on the situation.
Shay (04:17):
Oh, my God.
Vanessa (04:17):
So she just came in the house she always had her
certainties where she would docertain things and she literally
backed out the house becauseshe knew something was wrong and
all of her jewelry was taken,everything.
And I remember how hard that wasfor her and it just it still
bothers her to this day, and itwas probably 15 to 20 years ago
when that happened.
(04:38):
So I can't even imagine howthat would feel.
But you know, we're talkingabout something the opposite of
that right now and somethingthat can't be taken from us or
stolen.
So you know, we know God wantsus to be good stewards of the
wealth or the income or themoney or the things that he
gives us, but he just doesn'twant us to prioritize it.
(04:59):
And I think that's hard for alot of us because we kind of
fixate on things as humans andwe fixate on okay, well, I want
to do the right thing, I want todo this, but if our hearts and
our minds are truly in the rightplace and we go to that place
of love, we don't really thinkabout those things, and those
things matter less asmaterialistic items.
Shay (05:21):
They really do.
I mean God is so good with that.
I mean, if you really know loveand experience love, and then
you kind of veer left and likeyou're focused on the money and
the fame and the publicity.
Whatever your thing is,whatever your idol is right,
your possessions you know, thenyou, once you go back to the
love part, you're like I shouldhave stayed over on this side
(05:42):
because it just feels better.
The competition is low, your egois tamed, your spirit is
vibrant.
I don't know.
It just feels better, it justfeels so much better.
But I understand, money isgreat too, right, but it's a
tool.
It's a tool, exactly.
Vanessa (05:56):
Exactly, and love gives us purpose.
It gives our lives purpose, andmoney can cause an emptiness in
us, and I think we've probablyall been through that thing
where we think we know what wewant and we kind of chase after
this thing and we get there andwe're like whoa, wait a minute,
it didn't fill that void that Ihave in me, like there's still
(06:17):
that void, and sometimes thatvoid even gets bigger.
It does.
It does so if we have a lifefull of love, we have purpose
and we have people around us andwe have a reason to get out of
bed and we're kind of moredriven with all this and there's
this fulfillment within us, andI think that's such a beautiful
thing to think about.
(06:38):
If we're not focused on thestuff or the money or whatever
that item might be, we have allthis room left in us for things
that truly matter.
Shay (06:49):
Exactly, I agree with that .
I know I've experienced thetime in my life where my ego was
out of control and I was tryingto get this promotion, that
promotion, this raise, thatraise.
And then, once I got it, I wasable to accomplish some great
feats with that, like money,like pay off student loans and
all that.
But after I achieved that, I'mlike what's next?
(07:09):
And it's like it's alwayswhat's next, you know, and it's
always, you're always chasing it.
It's like this never endingcycle that is quite annoying.
Actually, with love, it's like,whether you love to travel,
whether you love to help people,whatever you really love, and
you put your passion into andpurpose and, like I said, it
gives you purpose, your family,your friends.
That is just.
It's just.
It's a growing bloom ofamazingness.
Vanessa (07:33):
It just feels good.
It does, you know, and love canactually help us with
generosity too, and helps us touh, to share our resources and
to help others and uplift others.
I don't know if you knowsomeone.
I always talk about mygrandfather and his amazing
spirit and this joy that iswithin him, with his generosity,
(07:55):
and it's all based from love.
He loves other people and God'speople so much that he would
rather give the things that hehas in this world to everyone
else so that they feel securethan have them himself.
And that is an amazing spiritto have this unlimited ability
to say, hey, look, you know, Ihave more than I could ever need
(08:17):
.
Let me give you some.
Let me give you some.
And it's the coolest thing, like, we'll go to his house and he's
you know, he's old school, sohe still still does the envelope
system with his money everymonth and he takes out what he
needs, he thinks he needs forthe month and then most of it,
he gets away at the end of themonth.
He's the cutest thing.
He's like look, I have thismuch left.
What do you need?
(08:38):
Do you want gas for the wayhome?
Do you need this?
And it really brings him thissense of fulfillment and purpose
.
And you see him light up andI'm like I want to be just like
that.
Shay (08:49):
I know I want to be like that too.
I try.
I try to give my first fruitsto a charity or a church or
something.
So that's always continued.
Even when I feel like I can, Itry to be faithful and obedient.
But sometimes you're like, oh,I really want to go do this or
do that.
But I try not to slip up toomuch or I'll try to have
(09:15):
conversations with God like, allright, god, you know where my
heart is.
So I really want to help mydaughter get through college
without student loans.
So can I take a little bit ofthis money from church and
charity to here?
And he's like Shay, I got you.
Little bit of this money fromchurch and charity to here, and
he's like Shay, I got you andit's a, and I'll do that after I
have a conversation and getthat convert confirmation.
Then it's like God alwaysprovides even more.
I just want to just when you'reobedient to God like your
(09:35):
grandfather, no wonder he'sliving still, no wonder he's
still blessed, no wonder he'sgot love around him, because
your grandfather has beenobedient and that is beautiful.
That is a testimony right there.
Vanessa (09:47):
It really is, and it's.
It's cool to see how someonecan live on so little and be so
content and so happy too.
I think that's the other partof this.
You know, it's not like he's amultimillionaire.
You know he has more thanenough, though, and you know
he's so like not wasteful withanything, and I think that
brings on that sense offulfillment and joy too, because
(10:09):
he knows he has more than heneeds.
He's been blessed over and overagain, but when it comes down
to it, he has so much.
He has so much he can justshare, and he loves it.
And it's I, just I love hisspirit with all this Absolutely,
so my mind always just goesback to him you know, but we
think about love too.
We think about how it lasts.
(10:29):
Love is forever.
You know, when you, when youlose somebody or there is
something in your past that youhave truly loved, you don't lose
that feeling.
May change because it's notthere anymore, but you don't
lose that feeling.
But possessions are fleetingand I think that's so hard for
some of us to see that thesethings that we want, they're
(10:51):
just stuff.
It's just stuff and we get inthis point where that stuff
means more than therelationships or the people or
you know all these things and itconsumes us and it becomes an
obsession.
I know when my grandmotherpassed away my dad's mom, my dad
was kind of obsessed with herstuff and he brought her whole
(11:15):
living room set up andreestablished it in our basement
.
First off it was pretty creepynumber one, but it was this
fixation of stuff and to him herstuff was her oh yeah, people
do that, exactly, exactly.
I mean I can remember even aroll of like of paper towels
(11:35):
like you could not use thembecause they belong to her and
all that stuff just sat therefor years and it got old and
would break down because itwasn't climate controlled and
all for years.
And it got old and would breakdown because it wasn't climate
controlled and all these things,and it just disintegrated
basically.
So it's like you have thisstuff that's not going to last,
but those memories and that loveyou have for that person, it's
(11:57):
still there.
Shay (12:18):
But people do it right, they value.
You know, usually it's like achain, a jury, a ring or
something like that that peoplewant to carry on, especially
after somebody passedtraumatically or you know, and
they're like it just remindsthem and they can touch this
ring and like, okay, it reallyreminds me of this person, like
connects you but, like you'resaying, love is forever and
that's in your heart.
You know, I really believe,like when somebody leaves this
(12:40):
or part of their spirit is withyou, especially if they're a
relative, but even if they're afriend or a spouse or something
like, they leave that love inyou and so I know your heart
might be broken after all ofthat, but that's just to me,
even more a sign that you lovethem, if your heart's broken and
feeling for them.
So I mean, when you lose apossession, yeah, you might have
been obsessed about it, but itain't nothing like love.
(13:03):
I mean, when you lose apossession, yeah, you might have
been obsessed about it, but itain't nothing like love.
I mean, I don't know, I chooselove over money any day.
Vanessa (13:08):
So a hundred percent agree.
And you know, and there arepeople who, let's say, something
happens and you know you losesomething or it breaks or
something happens to yourfavorite shirt in the washing
machine.
Some people get so distraughtand so upset over that and to me
I'm like it was just a shirt,it was just a this, a that, like
.
I understand emotions can beattached to that, but it's the
(13:30):
reality of it is.
There are so many other thingsout there that I would rather
have than that $400 sweatshirtor whatever it might be.
You know it's, it's.
There's so many other memoriesor experiences or that love.
It all comes back to love.
Shay (13:44):
But you know some people will say love don't pay the
bills.
Vanessa (13:46):
I just want.
Shay (13:47):
I want to honor those people out there and be like,
yeah, y'all talking about thislove, but yeah, hey, love don't
pay the bills.
Vanessa (13:53):
So I mean you got to work, you got to make some money
, you know, but I think, if youtruly have that love, it
inspires you and it gives youthat motivation to do this.
Shay (14:02):
Oh, that's good, that's a good comeback.
Vanessa (14:06):
But you know we have these experiences with love too.
You know we have familygatherings, we have trips, we
have those intimate moments withsomebody you just really care
about, where it's just theseconversations that you have that
really brings you together andit can deepen that joy than just
acquiring something new.
I mean I would much rather goand sit and have a conversation
(14:28):
under the stars with myboyfriend than us, like go to a
fancy dinner, because we'rereally connecting and we're
we're growing together.
And I think that's what peoplemiss is it's about these
connections, these experiences,these moments that deepen that
relationship and that love,versus just saying here you go,
here's a steak.
Shay (14:47):
That's really good.
I'm thinking about upcomingholidays coming.
We've decided to host the wholeToll family, my dad's side of
family.
We're talking about 60, somepeople, which is crazy, and
we're the first in thisgeneration to do it.
My aunts and uncle and myfather have done it for decades
and I keep on want to do.
You know my and I'm going toshare this with her afterwards
(15:07):
because I'm like oh, I want toput this decoration here, I want
to get this thing here.
And she's like you're doing toomuch.
She's like people just gonnacome over and they're not gonna
remember that you got ornamentslike so I'm like you know,
because you know you watch likethe kardashians and you see them
online and they go superoverboard with decorations.
To me it's kind of wasteful.
I'm sorry because, like, whatdo you do with that every year,
unless you're repurposing everyyear?
But I'm like, oh, we can getsnow coming down fake snow
(15:30):
coming down the hallway, we canhave lights here.
And she's like stop, that istoo much.
And to me what you're saying islike I should be just happy and
in love with the idea of havingmy aunts and my uncles, my
cousins, siblings, parents comeover and have great
conversations, establishinggreat memories, then worry about
(15:50):
having a bunch of expensive,you know, decorations or all
this brand food, you know,because it's really about the
time and the love of us comingtogether and the signify how
we're moving from one generationto another, and me and my
husband are the first to do it,and to me that's really cool too
.
And not to brag, but I'm likehey, like we're, we're stepping
(16:10):
up and saying we want tocontinue these traditions,
family gatherings, because itdoes bring deeper joy, yeah,
yeah.
Then, even gifts, like youdon't, we don't need to give
gifts.
Vanessa (16:20):
The gifts is being with each other Exactly, and I think
people lose sight of all thattoo.
And I know anytime you hostsomething, you're so busy and
you're so caught up in thehosting that you miss out a lot.
I know, like with us.
I have one aunt who alwayshosts Thanksgiving and she can't
do anything in her own mind,she can't participate, she can't
(16:40):
be part of anything and we'llhave this whole day and she'll
be like oh, I didn't know youguys did that or I didn't have
any idea.
X, y, z happened.
And it's like because you're socaught up in making sure
everything's perfect that youmiss out on the love and the
experiences and the conversation, even though what you're doing
is not needed or wanted in thatmoment.
What's wanted is you and yourpresence.
Shay (17:03):
And when we move on now to consideration and empathy,
which I think is a great seguewhen you're talking about
hoarding love and not money,because we do need to consider
other people.
And I added empathy becausethat's a part of this as well.
Like, empathy is the ability tounderstand and share the
feelings of another person.
So empathy is the goal Right,but, most importantly, being
(17:26):
considerate whether it'sthoughtful, concerned, mindful,
kind, compassionate I know Ihave that conversation with a
lot of my family members beingcompassionate, generous, polite
and sensitive.
Vanessa (17:37):
It fosters a and you think about joy and love and I
think all this comes with it.
I think it's inevitable thatyou're going to be compassionate
, You're going to be kind,You're going to be more mindful
if you truly embrace the spiritof love versus hoarding
(17:57):
possessions.
That it just comes natural andI think some of us it's a little
easier than others, but I thinkit's just part of the process.
Shay (18:04):
It just becomes second nature but I think it's just
part of the process.
It just becomes second nature.
So you think people that arefocused on money or not consider
it.
Vanessa (18:13):
I guess that cause that becomes their main focus.
I yeah, I mean I don't thinkit's necessarily a hundred
percent, but I think it's easierto get caught up in those
things and you become less kind,less compassionate, less
mindful, because you're you'rebragging about the things you
have and you're talking aboutthe pretentious things and
you're telling people oh, I havethis.
or I waited in line seven hoursfor the newest phone or whatever
(18:34):
it is too, and we're lesssensitive that way too, because
we're so fixated on the thingswe have versus the things other
people don't have.
Shay (18:42):
I think it puts your ego on blast, which is not a good
thing, right?
So if you're so focused on themoney, compassion is more from
the spiritual level.
It's more from the human spiritlevel versus the ego which we
need.
Ego to be competitive, we needego as a necessary evil.
Unfortunately, I think youcan't leave out the ego.
(19:02):
But the ego can get out ofcontrol so it can take people
down, it can cause wars, it cancause a lot of things, and so
being considerate reallytransforms, transforms
interactions into meaningfulexperiences, and I think that's
key.
Like, again, from the spirituallevel, I'm sure God wants us to
be considerate of other kind ofothers, love others and then
(19:26):
through all of that you know, itturns into a meaningful
experience, something that youcan hold on to.
When your family's goingthrough something, when somebody
passes, you have thoseexperiences, those memories of
that person.
Vanessa (19:39):
So yeah, being considerate is the key.
You do and if you think about,you know you can have the same
conversation with two differentpeople and one person is full of
love and the other person is,you know, fixated on these
worldly things.
The same exact conversation.
It can go two completelydifferent ways.
You know you have thatconversation with somebody who's
(20:00):
more focused on worldly things,you know.
One example that I think aboutis when my dog passed away.
My dog was my little girl andyou know people are like oh well
, you can just get another dog,you can just buy one.
And then you have a conversationwith somebody who's more
empathetic and more consciousand they're like I'm so sorry,
julia is gone and they bring hername into it and they bring
(20:21):
these things into it and theyshow you that they know there
was love there and even thoughthey may not understand it
because some people you knowthat I know do not like dogs at
all and cannot even understandthe fact that I had a dog they
come in with a different mindsetand even though it's not
something that's important tothem, they know how important it
was to you and it changes thewhole encounter.
(20:43):
So if you can come in withthese things and these thoughts
and this love for this otherperson to understand them and
their situation more transformseverything Transforms everything
, yeah, and empathy is huge,that compassion.
Shay (20:56):
But taking it a step further to an empathy, yeah.
People keep going to ask methat when are you going to get
another dog?
I'm still not over my dog and Iheard about Julia.
I cried because that was likemy little doggy too, like I
don't want anybody to die.
I know especially the doggies,you know.
But having that empathy andknowing that was your baby, you
(21:16):
know it's very important.
Titan was my baby Exactly.
Vanessa (21:19):
And there will be.
There will never be anotherTitan, ever Exactly.
Shay (21:23):
And I never try to take that away from somebody like I
have a cousin who actually losta child and I've never compared
it to that, but it's still.
It's heartbreaking either wayand I hope that she would have
empathy for me as I have for her.
And when it comes to these, youknow, consideration it really
helps us recognize and respectthe feelings and needs and
(21:44):
perspectives of others andhaving that love is key.
I mean, again focusing on money.
A lot of people donperspectives of others and
having that love is is key.
I mean, again, focusing onmoney.
A lot of people don't considerothers.
They're all about me, me, me,me, me.
Like what do I want?
It's just becomes this want,want, want, want.
And it's really sad.
Vanessa (21:59):
It sounds like yeah, and you become more selfish and
I think that's just part of allthat, too, is you become focused
on, on inward, like you'resaying and you're not thinking
about.
well, you know, I'm going onthis trip and I'm going to get a
new car and I'm going to do allthese things, and yet my cousin
can't even afford a rent thismonth and they're struggling and
(22:21):
they're working hard, butthey're struggling and you know,
if you're empathetic and youhave this love in your heart,
you're not going to have theseconversations and talk about me,
me, me, when that's going onwith that person.
I know Because you're moreunderstanding the other
situation.
Shay (22:34):
Exactly I'm feeling that way right now with the state of
the world, everything frompolitics to the wars, to the the
storms.
It's like I don't even feelcomfortable buying stuff outside
of food and like basicnecessities, because I'm like so
many people are suffering, somany people are without, so many
people with were without beforeall of this and will be after
(22:58):
this.
It still is just when it'shighlighted, like with these
storms and just getting a littlebit emotional, with people
losing everything and townsbeing wiped off the face of the
earth.
And I know God had the plan andhe uses everything for his good
.
He's not about evil, he's notmaking evil things happen.
(23:19):
He's not, you know, um, butit's still sad.
Like I told my husband the otherday, I'm sitting here talking
about Christmas, I'm sittinghere talking about going to New
York and Philly and all thesegreat things, and I'm like I
don't feel comfortable havingthose conversations, even with
my husband, because people aresuffering.
So that's where I guess I thinkI have the empathy and the
compassion for these people,because I want to give, I want
(23:42):
to support, I want to do what Ican within, at least if it's
just prayers, right, um, prayingfor these people?
Vanessa (23:50):
Um, yeah, so yeah, and you know, and there's so many
ways I think people think, okay,well, I have to do without
everything, so somebody else canhave and that's not the case
either, like we need to have ourour basic needs met, obviously,
and sprinkling some joy inthere too, because God wants
that for us.
And we all have those seasonswhere we're kind of down in that
(24:12):
, you know, down in that trench,and things are hard.
And it might be a season wherewe're having a hard season and
someone else is having aprosperous season, and that's
okay, it's okay.
But when we're having thoseprosperous seasons we need to
look down and see the personwho's in the trench and say how
can I be a part of bringing themout of that?
(24:33):
and we just kind of ebb and flow, ebb and flow with all this.
So that when we're having agood time, we can bring somebody
back up to help um with us youknow, versus always kind of
keeping somebody down, soexactly if we just have that
balance and we know that I'vegot you.
Now, at some point I'm going toneed you to get me.
Shay (24:52):
Yeah, and this consideration creates a more
compassionate and supportiveenvironment for everyone and it
allows us to embrace the loveand grace we call, you know, to
just be our call to embody thatwe're here to just give, and the
grace and mercy God gives us,we should give to others, and
that love and consideration.
So that's where it's at.
(25:13):
It's not about hoarding money,it's about hoarding love.
That's the healthy.
Vanessa (25:17):
Exactly, exactly, and it takes time.
If you're in this place ofworldly possessions and you are
just watching social media andyou know you are just infatuated
and kind of over all this stuff.
It's like, okay, wait a minute,I've got to get back to this,
but it's not going to happenovernight.
It's not going to happenovernight.
It's going to take some time,and that's okay too.
So it's a learning process withall this but, once it becomes
(25:40):
second nature.
And we've embraced all this.
That love and that grace isjust going to be there and it's
you're not going to think twiceabout it.
It's just who you are Exactlyand what a beautiful person to
be around.
I know, you know and when we gowith all this too, we need to
think about being humble and andreally being a part of this and
(26:02):
saying you know, even though Ihave this, I know you're
somewhere else, so let me juststep back, take a second, uh,
and just know that you knowmoney and status.
It can inflate our egos, buthumility can keep us grounded,
amen.
And you think about, well, whatexactly is humility?
And I think a lot of us think,okay, well, it's being, you know
(26:25):
, modest and unpretentious, andI think.
Shay (26:46):
A lot of us think okay, well, it's being modest and
unpretentious and lacking prideor arrogance and it is all of
those things.
Vanessa (26:50):
But it's also being somebody who sits there in a
room and there's 10 people andyou don't stand up and say, well
, I'm really good at that, I cando that, I can do this.
Now, oh, I've got this, I cando that.
That's not humble at all.
So being able to sit back andsomebody will notice, they'll
know that you have XYZ talent orwhatever it might be, it'll
come out when it's supposed to.
But we're not supposed to sitthere and just say I am good at
this and I'm good at everything.
So we have to remember thataspect of humbleness too.
And it also allows us toembrace growth.
When we're humble, becausewe're open to change, because we
(27:11):
know we are not the best ateverything and we have room for
growth and improvement.
And there's always going to besomebody better than us and
that's okay, but we shouldstrive to be better.
Shay (27:23):
I love that.
I know I have gone through thestages where I was not humble my
ego I have a very big ego, solearning humility has been hard
and obviously the environmentGod teaches you humility,
because your ego will getknocked down If it hasn't
already been, it will withhumility.
(27:48):
We understand that everyone hasvalue, regardless of their
wealth and status, and humblepeople approach relationships
with an open heart, willingnessto listen, which really fosters
true friendship andrelationships.
And that's what we need is weneed the love, we need to be
there for each other.
You cannot do life alone.
You need each other, and sothat's the word, the humbleness,
come in the consideration andthe love.
Vanessa (28:08):
Exactly, and I think we've all had those friends too
who are takers, and you know wehave friends who were like you
know they only call you whenthey need something or they need
to talk or vent aboutthemselves.
And then we have those friendsthat we know if we haven't
talked to them in a year, if wecall them, it's going to be a
true conversation.
You're each going to love eachother, respect each other and be
(28:30):
there for each other, andthat's a whole different dynamic
than somebody who's just a youknow a time sucker taker.
Exactly so when we surroundourselves with humble people,
the gift we get back is going tobe immense.
Shay (28:42):
Yeah Well, the people you want to be like you need to
surround yourself with.
So if you want to be like, youneed to surround yourself with.
So if you want to be humble,you know, consider it.
If you want to love, you knowothers and hoard love and not
money, you need to be aroundthose kind of people and you
know, of course, you're going tohave the sprinkle of friends
and family members that are justoutrageously egotistical,
(29:03):
narcissistic.
The list goes on.
You just have have to love allof them and hopefully you can
love it out of them.
But that's not yourresponsibility either.
Vanessa (29:11):
So let me be clear about that.
Shay (29:13):
And so, yeah, you got to have those boundaries, right,
those healthy boundaries.
But yeah.
Wow, this is a lot.
Any final thoughts?
Vanessa (29:20):
Yeah, I would just say, remember that a lot of people
say, when you pass, it's not thethings.
Or spending more time you know,earning money for, for work or
whatever it is that you're goingto wish you had done, it's that
love, those relationships,those experiences that people
wish they had more of.
So while you have time here,take the time to do that.
Shay (29:40):
Yeah, that's your legacy, right?
Leave a legacy of love and notwhen you you know, on the head,
on your headstone it says legacyof love or whatever, something
in the love realm versus thethey all they care about was
money.
Well, thank you all for joiningus for another episode of
Yahweh's money.
We hope you have a wonderfulday.
A big thank you for listeningto this episode.
(30:04):
We hope you found today's chatabout the intersection of
religion and money insightful.
We would love to hear yourfeedback.
Hit that subscribe button orfollow the podcast and please
feel free to leave us a review.
Vanessa (30:17):
Yes, and for the latest Yahweh's money content, visit
us at www.
crusaders4change.
org or find us anywhere youlisten to podcasts.
Until next time, stayfinancially fit and spiritually
inspired.
Shay (30:30):
And remember it's always better Yahweh's way.
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