Real talk time.

I’ve never really cared much about money. I’ve had the privilege of living a comfortable middle-class lifestyle all of my life. At times in my adult years, I’ve struggled with money particularly when I was briefly unemployed and when I was living by myself (you guys, rent is expensive).

It’s not that I didn’t understand the value of the dollar. I certainly did. I grew up watching my parents build and maintain a small business and saw all the work they had to put in to make a living for our family. It’s just that I really wished money didn’t exist. I saw it as a sort of “necessary evil” and didn’t want to think about it too much or really deal with it.

Since I’ve become an adult (I guess that’s happened, but it never really feels like I’ve really arrived into adulthood), I have never officially “tithed”. I gave here and there and supported various ministries, but I never truly set aside my 10%.

After lots of conviction from the Holy Spirit, I made the decision to begin tithing 10% to my church. Only recently have I realized what God has done in me through it. Here I am, giving my offerings to God for His Glory, and he returns them to me in a blessing to help me grow to become a better servant for him.

I have watched my finances stabilize over the last 6 months and have watched myself become a better steward of my money. I stress about money less and trust that God will provide when I am without. Somehow I still have more money leftover at the end of the month than I think that I should.

I don’t believe that God has blessed me financially because I give money to him. That’s riding the fine line of a prosperity gospel and I want no part of that.

What I do think God has done is subconsciously taught me why my money and what I earn and where I spend it is important. God has provided me with a job that I am thankful for, and that job comes with a paycheck. What I decide to do with that money can either glorify God or can glorify myself and the things of the world. The longer I am consistently tithing, the more he is showing me about the importance of good stewardship of money and of the resources I have been given.

God has taken my careless, negative attitude about money and is turning it into a mindset focused on him and bringing glory to his name.

I don’t write this to guilt anyone into tithing. I was sitting where you might be sitting right now, 7 months ago. But if you feel that God is convicting you to tithe,  I encourage you to take the step out in faith and see what God can do in you and through you, as well.