Throwing down F-bombs: Faith, family, frugality, freedom

Faith, family, frugality, freedom

These aren’t just playfully alliterative, but actually meaningful. Really, they’re what this blog is founded on—or, rather, what the life this blog chronicles is founded on. Let’s pound ’em out.

Faith

Most important to me. More important than anything—even my family. Does that make me a bad father and husband? No. It’s made me a much better one. My faith demands that I live a life of love and honor God through my love and care of my family. And though commitment to an almighty and sovereign God means that every little failure I make—and there are many of them—burns like hell, it also means they’re all forgiven. Which, wow, makes parenting much less terrifying.

Family

Second most important thing to me. Young Christian Mom is the best earthly thing that ever happened to me, and our offspring—Mister Man, Twin A and Twin B, and Fourth Corder—are incredible blessings. So much so that I left my good-paying and respectable office job so I could focus on being a better father, husband, and family member. Not because I could afford it (I certainly couldn’t) but because we felt it was the right thing to do at that time in our lives.

Frugality

I don’t mean phony BS like clipping coupons or saving 50 cents per latte by going to a local drive-through instead of Starbucks. I mean actual frugality, which I define as thoughtfully considering every potential purchase by asking four questions:

  1. Do we need it?
  2. Do we actually need it?
  3. How essential is the thing I need it for?
  4. Can I borrow it or make my own?

The basic premise is that the best way to save money is not by spending less of it but by not spending any at all. You’d probably be surprised how often that’s an option.

Freedom

Not the ‘Murica! kind, but the lifestyle kind. It’s why I left my corporate job to be a work-at-home dad doing freelance editing and writing. Because that stuff can be flexed much more easily than an office job. I’m here when my kids or wife need me, even if it’s just for five minutes while everyone has decided to poop at the same time.

Being a work-at-home dad means I can reprioritize on the fly. If we need to spend a couple of days helping out a sick family member out of town, I can take my laptop and work when things are calm. If we want to take a vacation, I can try to drum up extra work and work 80 hours a week for a couple weeks to earn the extra cash needed. (But really, why spend a bunch of money on a vacation?) If my pastor asks me to speak on Sunday or the church needs some communications work done, I can temper my freelancing while I focus on those opportunities to serve. I can put first what should be first. And that’s unfathomably more important than the supposed comfort of a salaried office job.

Those are the words that help define my life. What are yours?

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Who is the YCD?

about-ycd-author
I look like this most of the time.

I’m a father of four kids under the age of 5, husband to my greatest blessing, and a reborn-a-couple-of-times Christian. Professionally I'm an editor, writer, and creative consultant, but my real job is trying to be a better husband and father. I started YCD because fatherhood is really damn hard, and we don’t talk about that enough. Let's change that.

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