Is it better for single Christian girls to volunteer, or to work for pay? Does it even matter?
In my view, the life of a single Christian girl should be all about fulfilling the task God has given her to do. God is her boss: she stewards her talents and her time specifically to please Him.
If God is boss, then whatever paid work or whatever volunteer work she does must fall in line with her life purpose. A wise girl thinks long-term.
It is no girl's life purpose to while away her time waiting for a Good Man to propose.
So what's a girl to do?
First, she looks long-term and beyond the borders of her childhood world to see where she is qualified to bless others, and to see what qualifications she can obtain to bless others.
Her thoughts are not all about herself. She knows that if she works for pay, she has the opportunity to bless others with the earnings of her industry.
Here are two good reasons for Christian single girls to earn money (more reasons in tomorrow's post):
1. She blesses others in the spreading of the Gospel
Every time she shares her earnings with those who are actively spreading the Gospel, she is a partner in keeping missions going.
Whenever she gives any of her hard-earned cash to long-term missionaries, her paid work frees them up to do the work God called them to do. I know what I'm talking about here - my parents have been over ten years on the mission field! We need to keep seasoned and hard-working missionaries on the front lines of remote and difficult fields where their years of experience, knowledge of the culture, genuine love of the people and comfort with the language are valuable assets. Every dollar they receive means more time in evangelism and discipleship and less time raising funds.
An increasing number of millennial girls do this for our family ministry, blessing us so that we can bless others with the Gospel.
2. She blesses her family by her generosity
A girl's financial maturity is evident in how she handles her money. She shows responsibility, service, understanding, compassion, and gratitude every time she helps those who have helped her.
She reaches out to her household - to her parents and her siblings - with her sweet generosity and she deeply blesses them by giving back to those who have given so much to her.
In some cases, a young woman pays rent to her family for her adult lodging. In other situations, a young woman buys things big or small for parents and siblings.
There is no "good girl" rule here: there is no biblical mandate for her to pay rent or to buy needed items for her family.
What she has is a deeply held principle of caring for others beyond herself.
Here's an example: in the Mennonite culture in which my grandparents were raised, acts of generosity towards the home team were common. Nobody applauded when a girl gave back to those who raised her. My grandmother gave entire pay checks to her parents and bought her father an electric mower to make his work easier. My grandfather's parents gave each of their 9 children 40 acres, and when my grandfather left his rural town to work for the government, he gave his 40 acre share to his siblings. This kind of generosity towards the home team was totally normal - it wasn't outstanding.
A wise girl knows that all her money and all her time belong to her Maker: she has an abundance mentality.
Stephen Covey says that singles have one of two orientations: an abundance mentality or a scarcity mentality.
Single girls with the scarcity mentality live with the fear that there is only so much opportunity and goodness and material things and relationships and money out there and that if someone else gets a really big piece of the good stuff, it'll mean less for them. They're afraid to give generously lest they get taken advantage of - they have a hard time giving away money or credit or even gratitude and they have an equally hard time celebrating the generosity or success of other people. They are fearful, insecure, and self-centered, always looking out for number one.
Single girls with an abundance mentality believe that all good things come from God. They are confident and joyful when they share their money and talent.
A wise single girl sees herself as a responsible, generous steward of God's unlimited resources.
Next post: More reasons for single Christian girls to work for pay
