In 2013 Americans spent $55.7 billion dollars on their pets. That is $10 billion more than Germany’s entire defense budget. It is estimated that number will increase to $60 billion this year.
In 2011, the average parent spent $271 per child on Christmas gifts. One in ten parents said they planned to spend $500 per child. The average American spends $1,200 each year on electronic gadgets. Adults with teenagers in the home spend on average $500 more than that.
The average couple spends $27,000 on their wedding. Marriage and family counseling costs between $75 and $200 per hour. The average divorce costs between $15,000 to $20,000, almost as much as a wedding.
Yet with all these costs, we’re still not even close to what people spend on their pets each year. What do we really value? What is the value of a relationship, a child’s life, a family? Many would say–priceless!
An enduring relationship cannot be purchased. You cannot put a monetary value on a strong marriage and an intact family. No, these take investment of love, of time, of energy. Far too many times people are more willing to spend money on things they want than to spend time on far more important things.
You have come to a realization of the preciousness of marriage and family. And you have decided you are willing to pay the cost to redeem the priceless! You are one of the few who recognizes what really matters in this life.
Generational blessings come through the faithful! Far too many families suffer because they fail to recognize what really matters and instead invest in what, at best, is temporary.
This is, no doubt, a difficult time in which you see others, perhaps even your spouse, enjoying what this world has to offer. When that starts to get to you, remember what God values and what you value. When you invest in what is precious to Him, the harvest is great!
Don’t compare your life to someone else’s. Allow the Lord to minister to your heart and bring you peace in the midst of the storm. You are precious to Him. Your spouse is precious to Him. Your family is precious to Him. He paid the greatest price, His own life, for you and for your family.
Begin to walk more and more in His economy. Get your eyes off the world and its economic system and keep them on Him, the Author and Finisher of your faith. Before long you will see how priceless His harvest truly is. Love, Marilyn
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Matthew 6:19-20