Joy Wasted with KB Dickey

Just Some Things I’ve Been Pondering…

The other day, I was sitting there minding my business when a random thought hit me:

God made the earth for free, but somehow I have a mortgage.

Now before y’all start emailing me economics textbooks and explaining capitalism, just hang in there for a minute.

I’m simply pondering.

Because the more I think about it, the more questions I have.

God made water.

We pay a water bill.

God made trees.

We pay for paper.

God made dirt.

We buy land.

God made food.

We pay enough for groceries these days to require prayer before swiping the card.

And don’t get me started on eggs.

At this point, chickens must have formed a union.

Somewhere Along the Way…

I imagine Adam waking up in the Garden of Eden.

No utility bills.

No HOA.

No permit office.

No property taxes.

No internet bill.

No notice saying, “Your payment is past due.”

Just fruit hanging off trees and rivers flowing through paradise.

Then fast forward a few thousand years.

We’ve got monthly subscriptions for things we forgot we subscribed to.

We rent movies.

We rent storage units.

We lease cars.

Some people are paying monthly for software, music, television, exercise equipment, security cameras, and cloud storage.

Folks are literally paying to store pictures of food they paid for.

How did we get here?

Again…

Just pondering.

Maybe We’re Not Paying For God’s Gifts

Maybe we’re paying for what people built around God’s gifts.

God created the water.

Somebody built the pipeline.

God created the trees.

Somebody cut them down, processed them, packaged them, and transported them.

God created the food.

Somebody planted it, harvested it, shipped it, stocked it, and put it on a shelf with a price tag.

I get all that.

But sometimes I still find myself wondering:

Have we become so accustomed to the system that we’ve forgotten the Source?

Because every blessing we pay for started as something God created.

Every loaf of bread started as a seed.

Every home started with land.

Every steak started with a cow.

Every paycheck started with abilities God gave us.

Sometimes we get so focused on the transaction that we forget the Provider.

The Air Is Still Free…For Now

One thing that really makes me laugh is that air is still free. At least for now.

Oh wait! I like air conditioning and heat……umm, not free! Well, at least breathing air is.

Because if somebody ever figures out how to package fresh mountain air and charge us a monthly subscription, somebody is going to buy it.

Matter of fact, somebody probably already has.

I can see the commercial now:

Premium Air Plus

✅ 30% fresher oxygen

✅ No pollen

✅ Unlimited breathing (organic, lol)

✅ Family Plan Available

Only $19.99 per month

Don’t laugh.

We’ve seen crazier things.

Ownership or Stewardship?

One thing I’ve learned as I’ve matured is that much of what we call “ours” isn’t really ours.

The house isn’t coming with us.

The car isn’t coming with us.

The bank account isn’t coming with us.

The title isn’t coming with us.

The designer purse isn’t coming with us.

And for some of us, neither is that room full of Amazon packages we forgot we ordered.

The Bible reminds us that everything belongs to God anyway.

We’re really just managers.

Stewards.

Temporary caretakers.

That’s a humbling thought.

Because the moment we stop acting like owners and start acting like stewards, our perspective shifts.

Instead of asking, “How much can I accumulate?”

We start asking, “How can I use what God gave me to bless others?”

Food For Thought

Now don’t misunderstand me.

I’m not saying businesses shouldn’t exist.

I’m not saying people shouldn’t earn a living.

I’m not saying we should all move to the woods and survive off berries.

I enjoy grocery stores.

I enjoy air conditioning.

I especially enjoy indoor plumbing.

Praise God for indoor plumbing.

What I am saying is this:

Sometimes it’s healthy to pause and think about things we’ve accepted as normal.

To recognize that behind every blessing is a Creator.

To be grateful for the Source before focusing on the cost.

To remember that while the world may put a price tag on almost everything, God’s greatest gifts are still free.

Love.

Grace.

Mercy.

Purpose.

Forgiveness.

Salvation.

No subscription required.

No monthly payment.

No automatic renewal.

No late fee.

No finance charge.

Just freely given.

Things To Ponder

So here’s what I’ve been thinking about:

• Have we become consumers more than stewards?
• Do we appreciate God’s gifts or only their market value?
• If everything belongs to God, what does true ownership really mean?
• Are we teaching our children where blessings come from, or just how much they cost?
• When was the last time we thanked God for something before complaining about the bill attached to it?

And perhaps the biggest question of all:

If God already provided everything necessary for life, are we spending so much time chasing resources that we’ve overlooked the Resource Provider?

Just something to think about.

Because sometimes the deepest conversations begin with the simplest question:

“Why am I paying for something God made?”

And sometimes the answer reveals much more about us than it does about the bill.

Just a little late-night pondering from a wife, mom, leader, entrepreneur, project manager, and woman of faith who occasionally looks at her utility bills and wonders what Adam and Eve were doing in that garden. 😄🙏🏾 For real!

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Joy Junkie’s Closing Thought:
“God gave us the ingredients for life. Man created the invoices. The challenge is remembering which one deserves our worship.” 💜