One of the greatest models of workaholism whose life has greatly inspired me is George Whitefield (1714-1770). He is one of the greatest revivalists to have walked this planet. Within a short ministry of 30 years -between his 26th and 56th birthday- he left a mark that we cannot stop talking about three hundred years after.
At a time when all the means of transportation available was a horse, he travelled through the entire British isles and the new American settlement preaching more than eighteen thousand sermons- an average of five hundred a year for a thirty year period, or ten a week.
At a time also when all he had was a box to stand on and his bare voice without a microphone, he preached regularly even in his late twenties and early thirties to crowds as much as sixty thousand people in one meeting. You can imagine the kind of stress it will involve to pitch high enough for everyone of such a large crowd to hear what was being said. And with usual perfect silence in his audiences, they did hear him.
On one occasion, his friends and associates pleaded with him to slow down because of his health, George Whitefield rebuffing the entreaty replied, “I would rather wear out than rust out.” He was sold out to his calling. It could be said that the day of his rest was the day of his death. He worked till the very last minute.
This principle of spartan hard work demonstrated in this great preacher would produce the same result of tremendous success with anyone regardless of his vocation.
“He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.” Proverbs 10:4 KJV
We have spent the last several weeks exploring several issues regarding financial agreement between couples. We have identified the fact that the perfect will of God for couples is oneness in everything including their finances. That said notwithstanding, financial oneness is easier when the two of them are individually productive.
When resources is flowing through just one of the parties for long years, he or she being human can get tired and begin to complain. If just one of the parties is striving hard to improve income through hard work and the other sits down relaxed making no extra efforts, someone may begin to have a sense of being cheated.
Therefore, a critical foundation for the workability of financial oneness is an unflinching commitment of the couple to hard work individually. Even if you aren’t earning up to your partner or contributing so much to the family purse currently, let it be manifest to your partner that you are striving hard to climb up the ladder. As long as you are very hard working, your partner can relax and be assured that very soon, your hard work will pay off and bring financial growth that will ease the burden that s/he alone is currently carrying.
Never ever reduce your own drive for success just because your partner is doing well and shares everything with you. Be sure that if you perpetually remain a liability, you’ll become an unbearable burden one of these days.
It is better for you both to be doing well. The day he doesn’t have money and he is scratching his head, someone calls to order for some of your products and then you call him to say, “Sweetheart, some money came in, how much will you need?” Financial oneness will be sweeter that way.
By the way, the question is, “how much do you need and not how much should I borrow you.” Couples that are financially one don’t lend each other money. They give each other money. If the purse is truly considered one, it becomes impracticable to lend each other money just as it is impracticable to lend yourself money from your own money. I hope we don’t need to do a full write up on this specifically? I guess it should be already obvious flowing from all we’ve discussed so far.
I want to encourage you all to embrace being a workaholic. A diligent hand makes rich. But in addition to being a workaholic, learn the secrets of making money which we’ve been talking about. That way, you can get money to work for you instead of working for money.
In reality, someone can work very hard and earn far less compared to someone who works very smart. The knowledge of the laws of money helps you to know how to work smart and earn far more with less stress. Now imagine what it will mean to combine a growing hard working culture with a deepening knowledge of money. That’s financial explosion.
This is my wish for you.
This is the end of the series on financial agreement. We hope it blessed you in some ways. This series itself is a subset of the series we began to write around this time last year titled “making courtship count”; exploring all that needs to be solidified in courtship before it will be wise to consider marriage with anyone.
Thank you for coming this far with us. We will now proceed on a two weeks annual vacation. LST will resume on the 7th of February as we proceed with the series, “Making Courtship Count”.
Have a wonderful holiday full of meditations on how to ensure your marriage becomes a center of revival for the nations.
Your brother,
Peniela Eniayo, Akintujoye.
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