“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give,
not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” - 2
Corinthians 9:7
In
my solo parent journey, I went through extremely difficult financial straits
especially when my children were still in school. In my book, The Happy Solo
Kit (Tools and Supplies You Need to Survive Solo Parenting without Losing Your
Marbles), I talked about how I would literally have chest pains every time
I did my monthly budget. Hard though those times were, I felt grateful for it
was a time of learning. God was teaching me how to manage with less so that I
can do better when He gives me more. Most importantly, He taught me to
prioritize giving back to Him before allocating for our family’s needs and
wants.
When
I finally “graduated” from that school of hard knocks, He blessed me big time.
I promised to give Him a tenth of that windfall. I called that my “Palpitation
to Donation” journey.
I did
tithe but lost track and probably did not give the full amount intended. I felt
I failed to keep my promise to the full. I was disappointed with myself.
This
year, God blessed me again. It was a much smaller amount, not even a tenth of
what I had gotten before. But this time I was more diligent with my tithing –
Excel-filed and everything. It was so fulfilling every time I typed “remitted”
across the allocation for each recipient. My giving back to God was more
focused and I put more heart into it. I felt so much richer and fulfilled when
I completed the list.
My realization: It is not the amount of wealth you dispense but how much of your heart you give that makes you richer in God’s eyes.
