The Most Taxing Time of the Year
Rikki Permenter, MAMFC, Th. M.
Then give backto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
Luke 20:25
While March is usually known for the start of Spring, getting ready for Easter, and allergies it is also well known for tax season. I don’t know about you but there is something about doing my taxes that makes me want to perfect my budget. I guess it is seeing how much we really do spend on carwashes, cold drinks at the gas station, and coffee that puts things into perspective. Those big yearly totals are really helpful in seeing trends in spending and telling us something about our priorities.
Growing up my Mom and Dad always told me to tithe ten percent, save ten percent, and live off the rest. This was a great lesson for me in saving for the things I really wanted and giving even when I really wanted something for myself. I’ve also noticed this 10-10-80 budget works great for your time. If you “tithe” ten percent of your time to Lord you’ll be surprised how much you will accomplish. So many people say they don’t have time for volunteering at church, reading the Bible, prayer, and helping widows and orphans. If you tithe just ten percent of your time you’ll find you have almost two and a half hours a day. You have more time than you know! Next you can “save” ten percent of your time. Spend this time doing favors for your future self. You can make the coffee for tomorrow, get some exercise, floss your teeth, or do a few tasks you shouldn’t really put off. Your future self will thank you. Once you have taken the tithe time and the save time right off the top you will have eighty percent of you time to live off of.
This eighty percent of your day you have left amounts to 19 hours. Take a minute to budget your eighty percent. Include all those things that are true priorities to you. This should include sleeping, working, spending time with loved ones, spending time on hobbies, and spending time doing chores of various kinds. When you tell yourself how you will spend your day, just like telling yourself how to spend your money, your time won’t run away from you nearly as fast.
Author Bio
Rikki Permenter, MAMFC, Th.M., is the owner of Bent Tree Counseling in Clinton, La. She is currently a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in the state of Louisiana. She is the wife of Cole Permenter, pastor of Bluff Creek Baptist and a doctoral student at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Interested in counseling or have questions? Check out her website www.benttreecounseling.com.
This article can be found in print in the monthly Baptist Association of Southeast Louisiana newsletter.
