"We…tire of those pleasures we take,
but never of those we give."
Growing up in a
conservative church background, I remember clearly the demands from the
minister that God wanted us all to give as much money to the church as
possible, but no less that 10%. He insisted God would be most unhappy if we
balked at the idea.
I balked.
Turns out, there
is a big difference between tithing and giving. Giving from the heart is
voluntary* and joy-filled. Ask
yourself, on what do I place a high value? What brings me great joy? Share in
those areas. Examples: your children, animals, education, health,
global events, hunger, etc. Even your church, if you're being spiritually nourished and not being made to feel guilty about not giving a certain amount. When you feel obliged to give, it’s more like a tax
than a gift. Decide in your mind to turn your heart into a giver.
How to know you’re making progress:
- You get joy and satisfaction from
the giving itself and are not so concerned with how it’s received. “Cast your bread upon the waters. . .”
Jesus
- You begin to feel strengthened by
your generosity.
- You become more aware of how others
have been adding value to your life and your appreciation increases. (You
may even apologize for having been so clueless!)
- You become more deeply sensitized to
the needs of the world.
- You look for ways to add value for
the sheer joy of it.
The Rewards: No need to list them here. You’ll know
them when you experience them…and you’ll be both surprised and gladdened! (Note: Giving always begets receiving. It's the LAW.)
*The great teacher Jesus always spoke of
giving freely. He did not insist on Abrahamic law-based tithing. In fact, he
almost always criticized those who tithed while overlooking the more important
elements of the law such as caring for the poor and the infirm. He valued true
charity far above giving a percentage of one’s profit to the temple coffers.
“Give what you have. To
someone, it may be
better than you dare to think.”
better than you dare to think.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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