Family Virtues – Thrift and Industry

My daughter and I work on planting flowers
in front of our house.

I am the youngest of 10 children. My siblings joke that I got everything. I did get everything, right after they grew out of it or didn’t use it anymore. Hand-me-downs and left overs were common fair growing up. While I was not oblivious to our situation – my friends often asked me to come to their houses because they had better toys – I didn’t feel cheated or unfortunate. There was always something to do, work to be done and family around.

Thrift

At least initially, thrift brings to mind pinching pennies and hording money instead of having fun on a whim. While that may be the case, thrift can also mean creativity and patience. Let me explain.

One day when I was probably 11 or 12, I wanted to build an extensive wildlife model for my expert project. I was going to present to my class about big cats (lions and tigers and leopards, oh my!). I wanted to have a really cool show-and-tell to make my presentation awesome. I had the cat figurines, but I needed to make the rest of it. My mom was great when it came to encouraging my creativity. If I said I wanted to fly to the moon, her response would have been, “OK, let’s see how we can make that happen.”  Then she would help me come up with ways to create my own adventure.

With this project I wanted everything to look authentic, so I wasn’t really excited about going outside and collecting the branches, sand, and rocks to recreate my scenery. I thought to myself, can’t we go to the store and buy some cool scenery to help with this project, instead of dumping dirt in a cardboard box. However, I knew that wasn’t necessary and as we looked at pictures and put the model scenery together, I was even more excited about my project.

We see all around us the woes of people and organizations that can’t spell budget, much less live by one. Girls and boys who grow up saving, planning and creating with what they have, will know how to live within their means later in life. Those boys and girls will know that money doesn’t solve problems, but is a resource to be used wisely.

Children that learn to save and be thrifty will learn patience, goal setting, self-reliance and even creativity (if they try to do more with less). We could use a lot more of that in our society.

Industry

Work is a four-letter word, but it’s a good one. A family that works together has a strong future. They not only will provide for their own needs, but they will establish habits that will bless their lives, and future generations, for years to come.

I always admired my dad’s work ethic. He never seemed to quit. The sun quit long before he did, so he brought out lights so he could keep on working. In my early teen years, I considered it a great accomplishment if I could outlast my dad in working outside.

His example also taught me to learn and apply that knowledge to overcome obstacles in life, whether it’s car troubles, acquiring skills or just persevering when times got tough. I know when I need to pay an expert, but even then I ask questions and try to find ways I can work out my own problems.

We’ve all heard the saying: Give a man a fish and he will get hungry again. Teach a man to fish and he will never go hungry. Parents are responsible for teaching their children to fish. Boys and girls should know how to work and even find joy in their labor.

My niece pitches in to dig a trench for a sprinkler system.

Work is empowering and builds confidence. Work will also help them get through tough times, because it gives them something to focus on rather than self-pity and will lead them to a solution. Our great nation was built with hard work, and has survived disaster through hard work. Don’t let your family be a stranger to industry.

In his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin summarized well the importance of thrift and industry. He said:

“Waste neither time nor money, but make the best use of both. He that gets all he can honestly, and saves all he gets (necessary expenses excepted) will certainly become rich; if that Being who governs the world, to whom all should look for a blessing on their honest endeavors, doth not in his wise providence otherwise determine.”

God will richly bless families that save and work together with more than just worldly wealth. In the parable of the talents, the servants that put the money to good use and worked hard were given more. The one who hid his money and didn’t put it to good use, was scolded for being slothful and had his talent taken away. The first two servants not only became rulers of many things, they also gained knowledge no one can take away.

Next Week: Family Virtues – Optimism