I'm gonna get personal with the five of you who read my blog and talk about a big spiritual step we took last Sunday: we wrote a check for a full tithe from our once-monthly paycheck and dropped it in the collection plate.
We've been churchgoers for awhile and occasionally made an offering, but the issue of tithing has been on both our hearts lately. Rhonda at The Path to Simplicity talks about some big changes they are making and I greatly admire the faith she and her family are showing by stepping fully into God's will for their lives. We want that for our family as well.
Not even a week into our commitment, we are being greatly tested.
We received a medical bill for nearly $500, payable immediately.
Food allergies are forcing us to leave our fully stocked pantry, refrigerator and freezer be and purchase not only an entire month's worth of allergy-free foods, but also learn to cook some of them. In addition, we were required to buy four additional Epi-pens; we now carry six of those, a bottle of Benadryl and two rescue inhalers wherever we go. The pharmacy bill was $110 and our grocery bill likely will double this month.
Four months ago in the aftermath of my brother's death, I backed into my husband's car and left a gash on my bumper cover. Last night, I tore the cover completely off when I scraped the retaining wall. To replace it will be around $400.
But you know what? When that check left our hands, our finances went into God's. The money is His. The circumstances are His. He is in control, and He is so much more capable than we are! That's the kind of hope I cling to, and the hope I want to have as I relinquish whatever control I think I have in every area of my life.
