Has Your Personal Finances Been Hit by the Pandemic? Apply These 6 Tips! (Part 2)

Coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on the economic lives of people around the world. If your financial condition has also declined, do not lose hope. In addition to the first three tips on the previous page, also apply the following three tips to deal with it:

4. Look for Other Jobs or Opportunities

… some people came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. Since they could not bring him to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; after opening it up, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying. – Mark 2:3-4

When Jesus came to Capernaum, a paralytic immediately took this opportunity to come to Him (Mark 2:1-12). However, the house where Jesus was was packed with people. Not giving up, the paralytic's friends tore open the roof and lowered him right in front of Jesus. 

From this story, we learn that persistent effort in the midst of impossibility can bear fruit. In verse 5 it is written, “When Jesus saw their faith …” And that faith, seen in their persistent effort to open the roof of the house, moved Jesus and He healed the paralytic. 

Can God see your faith through your actions right now? Faith without works is dead (James 2:26). Jesus saw the faith of the paralytic and his friends, who did not merely wait for opportunity to come, but kept pressing on because they believed God had the power to heal. 

“But how could anyone possibly want to hire me at a time like this? Can I really get out of my business's economic crisis?” The paralytic may also have wondered this. “How could I possibly be healed with so many people here? I cannot even get in through the door.” 

If one door is closed, remember, there is still a “roof” you can tear open. There is always a way, if we dare to step forward in faith. Study new business opportunities. Keep looking for job openings and sending applications. Do not give up!

Use this situation to gain alternative sources of income or new competencies. Upskill (improve your skills) yourself or reskill (learn new skills). There are many job training platforms and online courses that you can take. If you need financial help for competency development, register yourself for the Kartu Prakerja program at www.prakerja.go.id.

Rather than continuing to worry about your economic condition, it is better to put action behind your faith. Keep fighting and believe that God sees and blesses every effort you make. 

I was young and now am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken, or their children begging for bread. – Psalm 37:25

5. Even If the Economy Is Not Good, Keep Giving

As the woman was going to get it, he called to her again, “Please bring me a piece of bread as well.”

The woman answered, “As surely as the LORD your God lives, I have no bread at all, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering two or three sticks of firewood, then I will go home and prepare it for myself and my son, and after we eat it, we will die.”

But Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid, go home and do as you have said, but first make me a small round loaf from it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son.” – 1 Kings 17:11-13

In 1 Kings 17:7-16, we see how Elijah's request greatly tested the faith of the poor widow in Zarephath. She was so poor that this woman was even planning for her own death and her children's death because she did not have enough food for the days ahead. She was certainly in a bad economic situation, so desperate that she no longer knew what to do. Even so, this widow still gave in the midst of her lack. She first made bread for Elijah, and only afterward for herself and her children.

Even if your financial condition is not good, keep giving. Give what, and to whom? Certainly to God, through offerings and tithes. He has given us so many things health, family, friends, fresh air, sunshine, and more. All of these are blessings of immeasurable value. 

Give your time to greet your friends and ask how they are doing. This simple thing can make someone glad and keep them from feeling lonely. If you still have enough money, help a friend or relative who is in greater need than you. Give donations to social foundations that help the poor, or support the provision of medical equipment to combat COVID-19. 

Be grateful if you can still give, whether materially or nonmaterially, such as time, energy, prayer, encouragement, and comfort. Believe that these things can bring a special joy to you and to the person you help!

6. Take the Lesson

Do not let the pandemic pass without learning anything. Learn from mistakes and prepare yourself so that you do not repeat the same mistakes in the future.

For example, these are the things I learned: 

• Having savings is important so that our finances remain stable at times like this.

• Maintaining cleanliness and health is important.

• Always stay watchful and have a good relationship with God. At any time, there is a possibility that we will face God's judgment. Are we ready when that happens?

• Make time for the people closest to you. Be grateful that we can still be with them today, because there is no guarantee that tomorrow we will have the same opportunity. 

• Perhaps this is a “Year of Jubilee” for humanity, a time to pause and keep trusting that God will provide enough. Please read more clearly about the Year of Jubilee in Leviticus 25.

• Enjoy the simple things around us. When was the last time you enjoyed a sunset? Played with your child? Called a friend? Cooked with your mother? 

These days when we can stay at home all week, having time for things we usually never get around to doing, may not come again. When this season ends, you may once again “race” to get done the things that are being held back right now. Everything in life is temporary. If it is good, enjoy it, because it will not last forever. If it is bad, do not worry, because it will not last forever either.

Do not let economic problems affect your faith. Read the Word and pray every day, tighten your budget, ask for help, look for other opportunities, keep giving, and learn from this situation. God bless you!

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References:
www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/26/unemployment-claims-coronavirus-3-million/
www.crosswalk.com/family/career/job-loss-survival-tips-11599497.html

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