Giving...

It's the time of year at church again where we make our annual giving pledges. I've been thinking a lot lately about the whole idea of giving, and the idea of tithing 10 percent, and since yesterday's sermon, I've been thinking about the concept of giving with a thankful heart and not out of obligation. Actually, I think that came from "a time for children" and not the sermon, but at least I was paying attention to something.

I don't really have any well-formed thoughts on the subject yet. It's just something that's currently weighing on my heart and that I'm praying about. I've always considered tithing something that Christians are sort of obligated to do. And honestly, I never feel particularly thankful or joyful as I put my money in the offering plate. But the idea of giving to the church, more specifically, giving ten percent, came from the early practice of giving the first ten percent of one's harvest as an offering to God. The first ten percent-- that's what gets me. How can I give the first ten percent and know that I have enough left over for myself? A selfish thought, yes, but I'm not the only person who thinks this. Isn't it easier to see what's left over at the end and then give what I can? Does that defeat the purpose of giving? It's still giving, after all.

I think this is where faith comes in, and this is where it gets hard for me. I've heard people say they give ten percent of their paycheck as soon as they're paid, and then they trust that it will work out in the end. And honestly, the thought of doing that is really stressing me out. How can I trust that the numbers will just work out in the end? If I do the math on paper and it's not adding up, is there some sort of "magic math" that happens as soon as my money hits the collection plate? I know I'm being called to give, and to do so with a joyful heart. And this is where my faith is being tested. This is where I need to keep thinking, and praying and reading so that I can be at peace about my giving. I'm sure I'll be writing about this for a while!