Last weekend in church, I reflected on our current stewardship campaign, “Building Community Through Sharing our Gifts.” What I didn’t share was my own journey of giving.
In 2004, about the time I met Tammy, I was in the worst financial shape of my life. I was divorced, bankrupt, and basically unable to pay my bills. That Tammy was even interested in me at that point was a miracle. After our wedding, we had to make a decision about our shared giving to God. We decided that, regardless of our dire financial situation, we wanted to give back to God. And so, we made a decision to grow toward a tithe – adding an additional $25 a month every year after that. That was 12 years (and $300 a month) ago – not counting our original commitment.
Tammy and I chose to grow in our giving, even when it might have been more logical to go in the opposite direction – and God has richly blessed us in every way. So far, we haven’t found a good reason to stop growing.
I hope you will also learn to trust fully in God and experience the joy and blessing that comes with giving.