How Can I Stay Committed When the Gap Between Saving and Security Feels Huge?

Speaker A00:00:37

Hey, have you ever transferred $25 into your savings account? And instead of feeling proud, you just felt discouraged because in your mind you're thinking, what is this really going to do for me?See, when the goal is thousands and you're moving in tens, the gap feels crushing. If you're not careful, that gap will whisper. Why bother, friends? Small does not mean insignificant.And today we're going to talk about how to stay committed when progress feels painfully slow. I got some great ideas for you today. Hey, friend. Ralph Estep Jr. Here. Welcome to Financially Confident Christian. If you're new to the show, welcome.I'm so glad to have you here. If you're coming back, thank you for joining me again today.This show is all about helping you break that cycle of financial shame and live in confidence. And today's topic is exactly that. How to stay committed to savings when the gap feels huge. Let's get right to today's listener question.We always start the show off with a listener question. If you've got a question for the show, we'll talk about a little bit later how you can do that. But here's today's listener question.Ralph I can only put away small amounts, and it feels like nothing compared to what I need. I'm scared that no matter how consistent I am, I'll never actually get ahead or build real security.How do I keep saving when it feels this insignificant? I want to stay committed, but the gap between what I can do and what I feel feels crushing and hopeless.You know, it's like if this is one of those dear abbeys, we'd start this off with dear crushed and hopeless. But you're not crushed and you're not homeless. I want to start by telling you this. Consistency builds security long before the balance reflects it.So let's talk about how to do that. Practically. The first step is to redefine what a head means. I hear people use the word Ralph. I'll never get ahead. I just can't seem to get ahead.My mom used to say this all the time, get ahead. We gotta decide. What does ahead mean? Ahead doesn't mean wealthy. Listen, ahead me and mean wealthy. You may never be wealthy.Hate to break it to you, but you may never be wealthy. Money wise, I think we're all wealthy when it comes to our love of others and the love that we have from Christ. But for me, ahead means more.More stable than last month. Hey, maybe more stable than last week, more prepared than yesterday, and less reactive than before.If you saved $300 and six months ago, you had zero. That's not small. That's movement. So focus on the habit, not the total. Security isn't built by one big deposit.It's built by repeated decisions day in and day out. For so many people, savings is less about the amount and more about the identity.I hear people say all the time, I'm never going to be a saver, Ralph, but let me tell you right now, you can become someone who saves first. I've talked about that on the show before.Maybe the way you solve this problem right now is, hey, as soon as I get paid, I put some money in savings right away. That identity shift is powerful, and it's more than the number. But how do you feel that?Because I hear in your listener question, you're like, ralph, I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere. We got to start tracking your progress in milestones.Instead of sitting there thinking, oh, I need $10,000, I want to buy a house, and I need $10,000 for a deposit. That's fantastic. But if that is all you have in your goal, if that's all you see in front of you, it's going to be really a hard struggle.I remember when I was £430, I knew I weighed too much. My health wasn't good. Now I could have said, hey, I want to get down to 200 pounds. That's my goal. Right now I'm at like 235.I've come a long way, but my initial goal was I want to lose five pounds. Well, you got to think about your money the same way. Maybe your savings, you break down, hey, I want to save $100. Celebrate that.Celebrate your first $500. Or if you're looking for 10,000, celebrate a thousand along the way. Celebrate that. That moment that each milestone, that momentum builds motivation.And when you're motivated, you'll sustain in your discipline and build some micro wins into your system. I never forget when I was a kid, I guess I was a teenager in the United States, we had this thing called the March. Every. It was a walk.It was 18 miles, believe it or not. And I remember the first time I did it. A friend of mine and his mom and all that, we're going to do this walk.America, I think, is what it was called at the time. And I thought to myself, well, actually, they made it even sound worse because they said it was 30 kilometers.And I'm thinking, 30 kilometers, that's like a doggone marathon. It's 18 miles, and I'm gonna forget the first time I started, I got my comfortable shoes and I'm. I'm ready to go.And I never forget we started walking. I'm thinking, 18 miles. I'm never gonna finish this. But the coolest part is every three miles, there was a station. They broke it into steps.Well, you can do the same thing with your savings. Automate a small transfer. Hey, even if it's $15 a paycheck, and then maybe you upgrade that every month.Say, you know what, I've been doing 15, maybe I could do 20 now, and that 20 becomes 30. And that tiny increase is compound. And it's not just a financial compound.I remember about halfway through the walk, they give you like, snacks and all this kind of stuff at each thing. And I thought to myself, way, wow, I'm almost getting there. There's only three more stops and then I'll be done.And that feeling, when I was done, man, I did that three years in a row. And each year got a little easier. But also anchor your security in something deeper.Yes, savings can bring stability, but that was never meant to be your ultimate security. Sure, your emergency fund protects your cash flow, should meet those needs when you have them, but God protects your life.That's where your real security is. And when that gap feels overwhelming, when you're first getting started, remind yourself this.You are stewarding wisely and you're trusting faithfully because that combination produces peace. And never forget those small steps. Those steps, as I started off walking at 18 miles, were still steps forward. Let's talk about today's win.I always want to give you a win. If you're new to the show. Every day I'm going to give you a win that you can take away and take to the bank, as they say.So today's win is this set up or confirm one automatic transfer, even if it's small. Hey, look, you can set aside $5 a week in savings or every time you get a paycheck, just five bucks.Because what you're going to find is that consistency beats intensity every single time. Let's get to our Bible verse. We always want to share a Bible verse. This one comes to us from the book of Zechariah, not one that I mention often.Zechariah, chapter 4, verse 10. It says this.Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that reigns throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel. You're probably thinking like me what in the world does that have to do with anything? Here's what it has to do with it.God celebrates faithful small beginnings that eventually build something strong and lasting those decisions. That consistency is exactly what the scripture is talking about. Let's pray together.Lord God, when the gap feels overwhelming, I just want you to steady my friend's heart. Help them not to despise the small progress. Help them to see growth when they once saw nothing there.And Lord, give us each discipline to stay consistent and patience to trust the process. And remind us all in the end that you are our ultimate security. So let each small deposit be a step towards peace and not pressure.And we ask this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen, friend. You don't need giant leaps. You just need faithful steps. And if you've got a question for the show, I love to answer questions.Just the heart of what I do here. I got a heart for helping people. If you've got a question for this show, go to financiallyconfidentchristian.com/question We'll put a link in the show notes.You can just click right on that. But go to financiallyconfidentchristian.com/question Thank you so much for joining me today. I just want to encourage you. You can do this.I have confidence in you. Stay financially savvy. May God bless you. And you have a great day today.