What the Bible says about Saving
July 2009
This article was inspired by my exposure to my first Teach Children to Save (TCTS) campaign, which I did in Alexandra, on the outskirts of the City of Gold, Johannesburg on the 23rd of July. I was conscripted to give a key note in my capacity as Chairman of the South African Savings Institute (SASI), on that freezing winter morning. This was at Ikage Primary school, where I was going to address Grade 6 students. Ikage, directly translated means “build yourself”.
The school and name were just appropriate for the event and the aim of the initiative. Here we were, to share our little knowledge to a group of students and teachers who preach self development, every minute of their lives. This is a philosophy carried in the name of this surprisingly wonderful institution. I will be honest to say that I never expected to find such an organised primary school in the middle of Alexandra. This is a school that puts many model C schools to shame.
Who were we to come and teach them something new? Therein started my predicament and there it lay until I was liberated by the Bible.
I had been thinking about my intervention for at least two weeks ahead of the event. To my dismay, for the first time in my professional life, I battled with what I wanted to communicate to my audience. For the first time, I fully appreciated how complex children can be.
Given this difficulty, I decided to resort to the Good Book.
What the Bible says
Whilst I knew that I was going to be sharing a podium with spiritual people, such as the Deputy Chair of SASI, Sheshi Kaniki and the COO of SASI Elizabeth Lwanga-Nanziri, I was kind of concerned that I could have been taking a bad bet. Fortunately, the results proved completely different.
For the past few months, I have been forced by my wife to wake up at about 4am every morning. Without excusing herself, she would rudely switch on one of her favourite channels – TBN. Until July this year, I would not pay attention to what she would watch simply because I thought I was not a spiritual person. But this past month seems to have changed. I have been fascinated by how spiritual I can be, when the Preacher blurted out a word that resonated with me and rang long and hard in my mind – Saving! I had never before listened to a sermon dedicated purely to debt management, financial management and sustainable saving – all in one sitting.
For the first time, I sat up and listened closely as if I have never heard about the concept of saving before. Whilst fleetingly fascinated about what I was hearing, at the back of my mind I was saying to myself, “This Preacher is creative, but it will not last”. To the contrary, not only did he last throughout that sermon, he lasted throughout the month of July. I have no doubt that the TV station deliberately dedicated the month to the concept of saving, in support of Savings Month. If I am wrong in my conclusion, then only the Hand of God can be responsible for the unintended positive outcome.
I was convinced when the Preacher quoted a most relevant verse in the Bible, which I had never heard of before. He read from the book of Proverbs 22:6-7 which goes:
“Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from. The rich rules over the poor and the borrower is servant to the lender.”
These words were fine music to my ears. So fine were the words, they immediately reminded me of a radio station I have discovered in Cape Town – FMR. It can be recommended.
The message was also quite pertinent, where the first verse raises the importance of Teaching Children to Save. Whereas, the second first cautions or instil a fear of debt - to keep them on the straight-path of responsible financial management, up to their old age. That is how important TCTS and Savings month are towards moulding the behaviour of society.
By the end of the sermon, which I sat up for from start to finish, in a confessionary tone, I turned to my wife and calmly said, “How relevant!”
At that point, I knew what I was going to say to those children at Ikage Primary School in Alexandra.
Mind you, that was the best message I have ever delivered and for the first time, I think people unreservedly believed the message that the South African Savings Institution (SASI) has been trying to preach for the past 7 years. Whether it was due to fear or faith is not material. What is clear is that the main effect can only be explained by the power of the Good Book!
Conclusion
Whether this experience has made me spiritual or not, I do not really know. But what I do know is that something happened that morning. A significant turning point in the message of saving was reached at SASI. But the road to changing behaviour amongst our people remains long and rocky.
