It sounds counterproductive, right? If you are scraping to get by, have too much money at the end of your month, are living paycheck to paycheck, or simply are spending so much on your kids that you can't find the money to fix up your house, and the stress of low funds is eating you up... give your money away. It sounds crazy. It sounds like something one of those scam artists on tv would tell you. The difference is, I'm not telling you to give it to me. Give it to those who need it, and you will be blessed. I know, I know. It sounds Holy Joe-ish. I've been skeptical of some things like that, too. But God tells us to give. Giving doesn't necessarily mean all the money you give must go in the offering plate at church. There are many ways to give.
My husband and I were getting to a point where we were nervous. With a 12-year-old starting to cost more and more, a new baby that required all the new baby items, and then the discovery of another child on the way, we noticed our budget getting tighter and tighter. Our air conditioner went out upstairs in our house, our backyard flooded and has remained that way for a solid 6 weeks now (we need to install a French drain), and the car needs new tires. And, of course, it all happens at the same time. Not to mention the 12-year-old is about to get braces! Eeek!! We started to wonder how we're going to afford daycare for two babies on top of everything else. What did we do? We felt called to give.
A 14-year-old at our church felt as though God placed it on her heart to go on a mission trip to Russia with the ladies of the church. This young girl began working hard to raise the $3000 it would cost to go to Russia and help others. I got a text saying this young girl was doing a car wash to raise her money, so I immediately took the car, let her wash it, and gave her a decent amount of money that I couldn't see how I could part with.
Prior to that I gave to help supply a meal for a family who just lost their teenage son to a car accident and their teenage daughter was in ICU from the same accident. I couldn't afford the amount I gave, but I gave it anyway. I knew how much it would mean to me for people to help if I was in such a horrible situation.
My husband had similar incidences this month, too, where he felt a sudden call to give.
We began to fear we had given and spent too much this month. We were living life as normal, but with all the additional demands lately it seemed as though the money might not be there. Just as we were about to get concerned, we got a check in the mail for nearly $600 from a company that we didn't know we had overpaid.
I know, it sounds coincidental. But things like this happen every time we focus our attention on giving rather than worrying about our money. No, you can't be dumb with your money and expect God to bail you out time and time again. But if you are living right, working hard, and still getting nervous about those finances... genuinely give! You will be amazed at the blessings you will receive!
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