Unexpected expenses piling up? Here is how you make it through every financial setback.

‘It’s always something!’

‘I can’t get ahead!’

‘If it ain’t one thing, it’s another!’

Have you heard yourself saying one or all of those phrases lately?

Don’t feel bad. Most of us have let them slip out in moments of frustration. There are seasons where it seems like things are working out in your favor. Then, all of a sudden, here comes another money problem that you have to solve.

At least, that’s how you perceive it in that moment.

One morning I had to pick up school forms for my son at his physician’s office located 30 minutes, on a good day, from our home. It made sense for me to drive there after I dropped him off at school, and I would go on to work from there.

No surprise at all, traffic that morning was heavy and all that time I initially had for my drive evaporated and I had to pick up the pace.

In my mind, I should be getting a gold star for elevating my stress levels in that traffic so there are no problems with my son’s school or my job.

While I was congratulating myself, I got a quick glimpse of a patrol car as I was coming up to the final turn before I reached the physician’s office.

Cue the flashing lights.

I could barely pay for the gas to get me to the physician office to pick up the forms. Now, I have a traffic ticket to pay!

After I took my ticket, actually made it to the physician office to get the forms, and got back in the car, I made it up in my mind right there, ‘I’m not going to worry about this ticket.’

As simple as that declaration sounds, it gave my heart the opportunity to minister to my mind.

Matthew 6:34- Don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Worry robs you of the energy you need to take care of your family and yourself properly. If you want your daily life to be rooted in peace and not frustration, here are some mindset shifts to adopt when unexpected events threaten to blow up your finances:

• Giving yourself grace is non-negotiable.

Any need for you to be perfect all the time has to go! It drains you of your focus, causing you to remain inward instead of tapping into the needs of others. Most times you don’t even realize you are being so hard on yourself until you are at or close to your breaking point.

• Stop trying to do everything.

You put yourself at risk for preventable health problems and stress in other areas of life when you insist on trying to be everything to everyone. If something really matters to you, you will find your way back to it. Everything is not urgent. You will not be able to rewind the time back to enjoy your children while they are small. Live in the moment.

• Read your Bible.

As a woman of faith, if you want to know how to do anything in a way that honors God, you have to go to the scriptures for the blueprint. Podcasts, public personalities, and preachers can be helpful supplements to your knowledge; however, spending time studying the Bible for yourself is what transforms your heart. Your relationship with Christ is personal. Your journey to becoming like Him is unique. You will not see the adjustments in your outlook on life if you neglect fellowship with your Creator.

Here is the answer to all your unexpected money problems:

You don’t have to have all the answers all the time. God provides for today and tomorrow.

Once you accept that you are not in control of the world and everything will not fall apart if you are not at the center of it, your heart will become lighter to live as you bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control).

If you want help learning how to plan for random money sucking events without being stressed about them, join my email list for money management resources and reminders of spiritual truths to equip you as a steward and disciple of Christ.

Let Christ and Batman be the superheroes in your children’s lives. Then, you are free to be the caring and energized mother that you desire to be.