'Financial Language' - Are You a 'Partner'?

Janice Thompson says there are six Financial Languages that describe how women deal with money matters. In this, her third post on the topic, she describes "The Partner" approach, beginning with this quote by an unknown author:

"Working together, ordinary people can perform extraordinary feats. They can push things that come into their hands a little higher up, a little further on toward the heights of excellence."

The scriptures tell us "two are better than one" (Ecclesiastes 4:9). It's good advice for anyone, but partnering over financial decisions comes naturally for some women.

Janice continues ...

We have the privilege of observing a woman of the Bible whose partnership with her husband impacted our world.

Take a little trip with me back to 52 A.D. when the Roman emperor, Claudius, evicted al the Jews from the city of Rome. According to the Roman historian, Seutonis, the Jews were persecuting their Christian neighbors and causing considerable disturbance in the city. All Jews, regardless of their guilt or innocence in the matter, were uprooted from their homes and banished from Rome.

This included a Jew named Aquila and his faithful wife, Priscilla.

From the accounts we are given (Acts 18, 1 Corinthians 16, Romans 16, 2 Timothy 4), they were a highly-regarded, model couple.

Priscilla not only worked with her husband, but she ministered with him - they are always mentioned together in the biblical accounts. Priscilla was obviously very much a part of this dynamic team.

Some fruitful outcomes developed from this collaborative effort with her husband. Paul commended them for the work they did to help the disciple Apollos, who became a dynamic leader in the church. And not to be forgotten are the contributions they made to church doctrine through Paul. God used them to impact Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament, gave us the major doctrines, and wrote the General and Pastoral Epistles.

This was a partnership that made an impression on people!

Does this sound like you? If you are "The Partner," you thrive on being a team player. You are cooperative and trusting. You prefer not to be the primary decision-maker, but you value making decisions - doing life - with someone you trust.

Whether it is with a spouse, a business partner, a friend or an adviser, you know how to make an important contribution to the collaborative dynamic and it is easy to recognize the synergy you bring.

You love to be included in the details, exercise your intelligence, and contribute to a cause. That is where you shine!

"Two are better than one," the Bible says, "because they have a good (more satisfying) reward for their labor" (Ecclesiastes 4:9, Amplified).

Is your financial language partnership? Who is your partner in financial matters, and how do you contribute to this collaboration?

Janice Thompson is the founder and president of Strategic Financial Solutions, Inc., a comprehensive wealth management firm focused on biblically-based financial solutions. Janice is a Certified Financial Planner®, Certified Life Stewardship Advisor™, and serves on the Board of Directors of Kingdom Advisors. She has two married children with one grandchild on the way. She and her husband Tom live in San Diego.

Note: Material adapted from the book, Managing Your Money Maze by Janice Thompson (Revive Our Hearts, 2009).

Graphic in Text: Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.