“During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah.  Rachel said to Leah, ‘Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.’  But she said to her, ‘Wasn’t it enough that you took away my husband?  Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?’  ‘Very well,’ Rachel said, ‘he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.’”     Genesis 30:14-15 (NIV)

     These verses show a bitter battle between two sisters.  There was probably a time when they were close, but many of us have seen how a man can come between two women.

     Leah is the older of the two sisters.  Although custom dictated that Jacob marry Leah first, his heart belonged to Rachel from the moment that he first saw her.

     Years later, even after Leah has given birth to numerous sons for Jacob, she knows that there is nothing that she will ever be able to do to win Jacob over.

     Leah is bitter toward her sister because she feels that it is Rachel’s fault that she feels so unloved.  As a result, she is unwilling to share the mandrakes that Rachel asked for.

     Leah’s actions can teach us two lessons about giving.

A vengeful heart can keep us from giving.

     Leah despises Jacob’s intense love for Rachel.  But Rachel really has no control over who Jacob loves.  Rather than realize this, Leah allows years and years of bitterness to create a wall around her heart that keeps her from maintaining a loving relationship with her sister.

     Although it is not clear from the text, Leah’s anger has probably had an impact on many of her family members.  There have probably been times when Leah has misdirected her anger toward her children, her husband, and maybe even others with whom she comes in contact.

     Many of us can relate to Leah’s anger.  It can be hard to separate our current feelings toward one situation from the rest of life’s situations that are still happening around us.

     Then, when we are expected to be nice toward the one that caused the anger, it can feel like mission impossible.  But Jesus told us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.  Further, we are to love our enemies and pray for them.

     No matter how angry or hurt we feel, we cannot become vengeful.  We cannot let our anger keep us from maintaining a giving heart.

God gives to us so that we can give to others.

     Our stewardship extends beyond our financial resources.  It goes beyond tithes and offerings.  God has blessed us so that we can be a blessing to others.

     Leah refused Rachel when Rachel asked for mandrakes.  Are we also refusing God’s children when they come to us for help?

     It may not be a financial need.  We may be asked to provide food, temporary shelter, or transportation.  We may be asked to lend a hand and share our time.  We may simply be asked to listen to someone who wants to know that someone cares about them.

     As Christians, we should empty ourselves of ourselves so that we are available to God.  We have to be willing to allow God to use us to reach His lost children.  We never know when that one random act of kindness will change a life.  Changing one life can have a domino effect that can change thousands and thousands of lives.

     While we may feel small in this vast world, God can use us to do big things – if we let Him.  Let’s pray for the strength to allow God to transform our angry hearts into giving hearts.

“When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, ‘What is this you have done to me?  I served you for Rachel, didn’t I?  Why have you deceived me?’”     Genesis 29:25 (NIV)

     While this clearly appears to be a business transaction gone wrong, another issue was revealed to me as I studied this verse.  Jacob worked hard for Laban for seven years to earn Laban’s daughter Rachel’s hand in marriage.

     Rachel’s older sister, Leah, was still unmarried at the end of Jacob’s seven year commitment.  According to custom, the older daughter must be married first.  So, Laban gave Leah to Jacob to marry.

     Jacob felt deceived by Laban.  He toiled for seven years, anticipating the day Rachel could become his wife.  We can imagine how Jacob felt after working so hard toward a goal, only to be let down in the end.  We have all experienced similar let-downs in our lives.

Buying a home

     Many of us purchased homes in a booming real estate market.  Some of us bought for personal use, while others both rentals for investment purposes.

     How devastating for those of us who have watched the home values plummet well below the purchase price.  So many homeowners are now living in homes with absolutely no equity.  This makes it difficult to sell or refinance.

     In addition, many home loans were designed to be very creative.  While the monthly payments started out low, the interest only periods are coming to an end.  The new payments are often double the previous payment, making it hard for most families to continue to make the payments.  Since there is no equity, many homeowners feel trapped, and foreclosure has been a common last resort.

Layoffs

     Work has been a given for so many of us for so long.  No one really expected their employer to be caught in a position where the budget forced managers to have to choose which employees could stay and which employees would be let go.

     Those decisions impacted more than just the employee.  Families have been hurt by the sudden change in household income.  Some families have had to move to smaller homes or apartments.  Some children have had to leave private schools or even switch to other public schools.  Parents may be sharing a vehicle.

     New jobs have not been easy to find for so many.  Companies just don’t have enough profit to enable them to hire additional help.  The extra-large pool of unemployed applicants also makes it much more competitive.

Retirement accounts

     The stock market volatility has made many retirees and pre-retirees uncomfortable.  Many retirement account balances were cut in half with the recent market downturn.

     This hurt many who have already retired.  They are unsure whether they will be able to comfortably live through the rest of their retirement years with the remaining balances.  Those who were considering retirement in the not-to-distant future had to reconsider and stretch their plans out by several more years.

     Since the economy is still so unsettled, investors have no idea how to handle their accounts in the coming years.  While many prefer to err on the cautious side, there is a concern that being too conservative will prevent the retirement accounts from ever regaining enough to make retirement a comfortable reality.

Who is the deceiver?

     While so many of us are quick to become angry with God when things do not go as we hoped, we should really ask ourselves if God deceived us, or if we deceived ourselves.

     God never promised us that life would be wonderful.  He never promised us that we would not face problems with our homes, our jobs, or our retirement accounts.  Remember Isaiah 55:8.  We tend to forget that our plans and dreams are often different from God’s.

     Yes, our roads in life will be bumpy.  But God has promised never to leave us or forsake us.  Concentrate on John 16:33.  Let’s not lose heart when things get challenging.  We need to depend on God even more in these times.

     Instead of placing misdirected blame, let’s praise God through our storms and praise Him for the victory that lies ahead.

     While combination life insurance-long term care products can reduce the expense of long term care insurance, that alone may not be enough to feel comfortable with the retirement income that we have available.

     The market volatility has had a severe impact on many retirees.  With account values dropping so rapidly, it makes it difficult to rebuild the value of the nest egg.  Retirees also find it challenging to maintain a consistent monthly draw from their retirement nest eggs for fear of depleting the account too soon.

     There are only two ways to handle the challenge.  There either needs to be an increase in the monies that are in the retirement nest eggs or a reduction in the monies being drawn out each month.

     So, if going back to work is not the favored option, then we need to look for ways to reduce monthly expenses.  Here are some tips to help make the process smoother.

Categorize expenses

     Some expenses are mandatory, while others are optional.  We should make sure that mandatory expenses are covered first, and optional expenses are included as finances allow.

     Mandatory expenses would include such items as mortgage or rent payments, car payments, utilities, and food.  Optional expenses might include eating out, vacations and trips, and other forms of entertainment.

Scaling back

     When we realize that we have to scale back our spending, the easiest place to start is with our optional expenses.  Are there things we can cut back or eliminate altogether?

Home and car maintenance

     During working years, there are some household tasks that may have been easier to delegate to others than to try to squeeze into the schedule.

     For example, some households hire out for yard maintenance or housekeeping.  Some households also pay for car washes and car detailing.  In retirement, it may be more cost effective to do the work rather than to pay for it.

Reading material

     We may have gotten hooked to our subscriptions to various publications over the years.  It has become so much a part of our routine that we don’t think much about paying the annual renewal fees.

     However, in an age where the world is practically only a click away, so much of the information is now available online.  The need for newspaper and magazine subscriptions is becoming less important.

     When looking for areas to cut back on spending, even book clubs can be seen as a questionable expense.  Unless there is a novel that we intend to use as a reference or we plan to read the book more than once, the local public library can be another alternative to purchasing numerous books over the course of a year.

Senior discounts

     Retirees have many opportunities to take advantage of their maturity.  Many restaurants offer discounts to seniors.  Even fast food restaurants have unadvertised senior pricing.

     Some grocery stores and retail stores offer senior discounts on certain days of the week.  Many entertainment venues have senior rates.  Utility companies offer discounts.

     Again, quite a few of the discounts available are not advertised but will be honored if mentioned.  Seniors should not be afraid to ask.

     Retirement is a season of life meant to be enjoyed.  Let’s not let today’s economic challenges steer us away from that.  With careful planning and some simple sacrifices, retirees can look forward to the many, many years ahead of them.

     So many Americans are worried about how healthcare reform will ultimately impact them.  As we age, the potential for long term care needs becomes more and more of a concern.

     The biggest reason many people do not purchase long term care insurance is because they are worried about paying for it and never using it.  However, just like every other insurance product, it is better to have it than to realize too late that we actually would have benefited from it.

     There are products available, though, that allow you access to long term care coverage if the need arises.  These products combine long term care insurance with other insurance products – life insurance or annuities.  The long term care insurance is added as a rider to the other insurance product that is being purchased.

     There are a variety of ways to purchase these combination products, and it depends on what makes the most sense for the policyholder.  Here are a few variations to consider.

Premium options

     Some policies are only available with a single premium payment – one large lump-sum payment.  Others will allow for multiple, flexible premium payments over time.

     If there is a concern that the premiums will “go to waste” if the policyowner never needs long term care, some insurance carriers still offer the return of premium feature.  This feature refunds premiums paid toward long term care insurance if it is never used.

Payout options

     Some life insurance-long term care combination products will accelerate the death benefit so that the policyholder has access to cash to cover long term care expenses.  Other products separate the long term care benefits so that they can be drawn completely independently of the life insurance.

     Most policies are flexible in how the long term care monies can be spent.  Many policies allow the monies to cover expenses in a facility as well as for in-home care.

     There are caps to the long term care insurance payout.  Some will determine the cap based on a multiple of the life insurance death benefit.  For example, a $250,000 life insurance policy may determine that the long term care benefit is capped at twice the death benefit, or $500,000.

     Some insurance carriers offer an additional rider that will enable to policy to continue to pay long term care benefits even after the original policy’s cap is met.

Underwriting options

     Some insurance carriers are willing to accept a simplified underwriting process.  This makes it easier for potential policyowners with health issues to still qualify for a policy.  While they may be faster to get, policies with simplified underwriting may not offer as high of a payout for either long term care or the death benefit.

     Combination policies make long term care more accessible for people who may not be able to afford a more expensive individual long term care policy.  With a variety of options, these policies can be tailored to meet the needs of each policyowner.  A financial professional can help families review the various options to create a policy that works best for the household.

“Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, ‘I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.’”     Genesis 29:18 (NIV)

     When I first read this verse, I was impressed with Jacob’s dedication to Rachel.  Those are the words of a man in love.

     Jacob’s statement led me to think about the reasons we choose to work.  For each of us, the answer may be different.  Let’s explore some of the most common motivations to work.

Provision

     “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”  1 Timothy 5:8 (NIV)

     For the great majority of the workforce, work provides the financial resources necessary to provide for ourselves and our families.  This includes the basic standards of care, such as housing, clothing, and food.  It may provide for a means of transportation.

     If the income stretches far enough, we may also be able to provide for some of the family’s wants and desires, such as extracurricular activities, the latest electronic gadgets, or trips and vacations.

Love

     Work is also a way to show others love.  As discussed previously, we can demonstrate our love for our family by working to provide for them.

     We can also show love for others by working in or with companies and organizations that help others.  Many companies provide products and services that help better people’s lives.  Non-profit organizations support many different causes that are prevalent in our communities.

     Whether we work as an employee or a volunteer, our assistance is evidence of our commitment to the people or principles supported by these groups.

Goals

     We all have a purpose in life.  Some of us know what that purpose is.  Others are still searching for it.  Nevertheless, when we can incorporate that purpose, or our goals, into our worklife, it can be all the more enjoyable.

     God wants us to enjoy our work.  Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 2:24-25, “A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work.  This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?” (NIV)

Money

     While money is a common motivation to work, this is a motivation that needs caution.  We need to be careful with how we think about money.  While money serves a function in our lives, we cannot let it control us.  God knew before we were born the kind of hold that money can put on us.  He provides us with guidance in His Word.

     In Luke 16:13, Jesus tells us, “No servant can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and Money.” (NIV)

     As we consider our own work, as well as the people and the principles that are most important to us, let’s evaluate our own level of dedication.  Do we display the same passion and enthusiasm for work that Jacob expressed in his quest for Rachel?  Can we do more?