Separate Checking

Dear Victorious,

My husband and I have had separate bank accounts (we both work) for about three years now. My mother-in-law found out about that a little over a year ago and can't seem to stop harping about it. According to her, this "is not appropriate for a Christian marriage." But he and I neither one see anything wrong with it. Who is right here?

Nanette R. - Louisville, KY

Dear Nanette,

Well, your mother-in-law has a point. But harping on it is absolutely inappropriate. She could have been excused for offering her opinion once or twice. After that, she's lost any credibility to be heard.

While you and your husband may see nothing wrong with having separate bank accounts and keeping your money separately, there also isn't anything right about it. You see, we shouldn't just make decisions based on whether there is anything wrong with something. Things don't have to be specifically wrong for you not to do them. Moreover, the fact that there isn't specifically something wrong with something doesn't make it right.

Marriage is a union of two people - where they become one in every aspect possible. To hold out an important area of yourselves or your lives like money is inconsistent with the oneness that God prescribes for marriage. If you're willing to compartmentalize your finances, what else might you compartmentalize? Maybe separate finances aren't causing a problem in your marriage today. But they do suggest a weakness in your unity. Do you really want to go on with that weakness?