“For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away” Matthew 25:29
I wish I could simply say: focus on your physical and mental health and the budget will balance itself — but unfortunately, that’s not how life works, nor the economy but that’s a whole other discussion for another day. When your financial affairs are not in order, your mental health is the first to take the hit, followed by your physical health. And somewhere in between, you become far more prone to doing something you wouldn’t normally do.
When dealing with first-time offenders, financial instability is almost always one of the top contributing factors.”
So you ask: I don’t have much control over my financial stability. I don’t have a job, I’m on ODSP, and working is difficult for me.
My answer is this: first, you acknowledge the situation. Then you plan. After that comes execution — and most importantly, consistency
Sometimes we have to pause and remind ourselves that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Think about Noah: year after year, he worked on an ark no one believed he needed. The sky was clear, the days were long, and still he kept building — plank by plank — because he trusted in the purpose behind the work.
In many ways, people today are doing something similar. They’re trying to break cycles that have followed them for generations. At first, it can feel like you’re just stacking a single brick on top of another, wondering if it will amount to anything. But over time, those small, steady choices begin to form a wall, and eventually, a home — a place of safety, identity, and stability.
The danger comes when those bricks are thrown aside, when frustration or hopelessness makes giving up seem easier, when slipping into an offence starts to look like the only path forward. But the truth is, stability is built the same way Noah built his ark: slowly, faithfully, and long before the storm arrives.
So don’t give in so easily. Stay on top of your finances, and remember that financial instability can happen to the best of us. What truly matters is how we navigate those stormy days — with patience, resilience, and the determination to keep laying each brick, even when the ground feels unsteady beneath us. And above all, stay away from criminal offences, because every choice you make during the hardest times shapes the foundation you’re building for your future.
About the Writer
Sidney Zarabi is a criminal defence lawyer and the founder of 10(B) Criminal Law Center. He spends his days (and too many late nights) representing people whose lives have been entangled with the justice system — often not because they’re criminals, but because they’re broke, broken, or both.
He writes to remind us that behind every case file is a story — usually one that starts with hope, not harm.