In my hand

They were so little.

I watched my daughters, mere toddlers, playing near each other in the family room on the carpet, each with a toy of her choosing.

My youngest asked my eldest for the bauble she was currently enjoying. This was an unwelcome request, so eldest daughter searched the sprawl of toys in orbit around her. She selected one and handed it ever so sweetly to her younger sister. One might expect me to have been proud at that moment, delighting in the so-called sharing that had just taken place.

But I wasn’t.  Read More

Giving…With Just Cause

Should we base our tithe on our pre-tax or post-tax income?  This debate occurs somewhat frequently in circles when the topic of tithing arises.  I’ve asked the question, too.

Frankly, I’ve decided it’s beside the point.  I find it to be a flimsy veil behind which hands are clenched tightly around dollars and ‘stuff.’  What, then, will liberate treasure from our grubby little mitts?

Commitment and Sacrifice
With commitment comes a loss of freedom.  Committing to give in the form of dollars or hours implicitly requires denial of self in another area, if for no other reason than we lack infinite resources.

Sacrifice, by definition, isn’t sacrifice unless it costs something. When we give to a charitable organization, including churches, we commonly deduct it on our Federal taxes, rendering our sacrifice less costly to us.   Read More