On Frugality, Idolatry, and Stewardship: A Closer Look Behind Frugality

Frugality. Spend any time at all in the blogosphere (particularly in the female arena), and you'll soon realize that it's quite the hot topic these days. After all, there are whole, entire websites and blogs devoted to the art of being frugal.* Generally speaking, the term resides soley within the sphere of economics. In other words, it's about saving money.

There are many reasons to be frugal. For some people, it's just plain fun. Others do it to be wise stewards of what God has given them. A few are driven out of necessity, and still more pursue frugality in the present for the purpose of having wealth in the future. In fact, even for Americans in general, economist David Rosenberg claims that "frugality is in, extravagance is out."

Frugality comes in many different forms. Sometimes it's simply another case of affluenza-how can I get the most stuff at the lowest cost to me? Other times it is a tool to be used to get out of debt. Or perhaps it is to feel security in financial stability (in place of finding that security in Christ). For others, it is truly about living simply in order to be giving generously.

One unfortunate form of frugality is idolatry. Pull back the cloak of frugality, and you'll see an ugly idol behind it all. Somewhere along the way, it either began as or became an idol that, like a slavemaster, drives its bondsmen to astonishing extremes. (We've all heard about the old lady who died seemingly poor, but thousands of dollars were found stuffed in her furniture.) The quest for saving money, for whatever reason, all too quickly becomes an all-consuming end. When really, it should be a means, rather than an end.

But what about stewardship? As Christians, that's what we're really called to be exercising. Yet frugality is only a small facet, and sometimes out of necessity it must be excluded if we are to be true stewards in other areas.