Giving is Always Right

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Today’s reading:Luke 20:45 – 21:4

For almost three years now, my income has been anything but steady. During the spring and fall, the lawn service part of  my “I Do a Lot of Stuff” business, comes in great demand, and I feel rich. Accordingly, I give liberally, and happily, to my church.

But then that ends for several months, and, while I enjoy the slower days working mostly at my desk here at home, I begin to feel a financial pinch. And my tithing usually stops entirely. I always feel guilty when I look over my church’s financial reports during those lean months and see that they are usually lean months for the church, too.

The church seems to have developed a tradition of trusting that a sufficient number of large, one-time donations will come at the end of each year to see us to a healthy start for the new year.  Likewise, for me. As hot, dry summers always dwindle my lawn business to almost nothing each summer, I always trust that God will over-fill my coffers again with the happy rush of fall. God always does come through, of course.

I suppose this is all relatively healthy. My church and I both lead responsible financial lives. We meet our obligations, we have no significant debt. God always gives us the money we need to do the things we want and must do.  (Though my church is currently facing a huge challenge this year, but I’ll save that story for another day.)

Today’s reading reminds me that I could do better by God.

I can find a way to keep up my tithing, even during the lean months. I can also find a way to contribute even more in December, when the church’s  inevitable letters always come asking for last minute, one-time gifts. When I do all of that, I will finally be giving as much as the blessed woman does in today’s endlessly inspirational story.

In my ministry work of late, I’ve become well acquainted with a number of homeless people, and I’ve noticed something very inspiring in them. I used to be wary of giving them gifts of cash, thinking negatively that they would just blow it all on something irresponsible — junk food, cigarettes, beer or worse.  But, as I’ve befriended many of them, I’ve discovered that my worries were mostly unnecessary (as worries tend to be).

I’ve witnessed dozens homeless people being blessed by large gifts, say a $100, and immediately distributing the money  happily among their friends.

Thanks be to God for sufficient money for all people — may we all learn to distribute His gifts gloriously.