Oh Great, Stewardship Sunday
By Amanda
"Another Stewardship Sunday gone and past, thank goodness. How annoying, the church is just begging for money again. That church council guy took forever! We should have left after the sermon."
Such a common thought comes to countless members whenever ‘hassled’ about giving more money to church. This is what I thought until the day my mother told me a story.
After a usual day at work my mother began to gather her things in preparation to leave and head to Monday night church. As she bent down to pick up her offering envelope that had fallen at one of here co-worker’s feet, she heard a gasp. “Oh my goodness!” the woman said. “You give this much to church monthly?” My mother responded, “Actually, I give this much to church, weekly.” At that moment, my mother began to witness her faith to what she thought was only one co-worker. She explained how the more she gives, it always seems that she gets more in return; an unexpected amount here, a little bonus there. She told her co-worker how the Lord blesses the entire family when we give from the heart. She said that every month when doing the expenses, the first amount taken from the profit is always money for church - the first fruits are given. The woman walked away in amazement, reflecting on her own contributions.
Almost a month later, a different co-worker came up to my mother and began to explain how she overheard that very conversation a month earlier. Nearly in tears, the woman stated her financial difficulties as a single mother. She decided to take my mother's advice on that day a while back, and gave out of her fist fruits the next Sunday. Then adding up her expenses a month later she found that she had extra money for the first time! She wondered what she did differently that she finally got a break. But she didn’t get a break; she was blessed by the Lord for giving from her heart. Thanking my mother, that woman’s life had been changed forever.
This can be a lesson to all of us: just try to out give God. Maybe you will think differently on the next Stewardship Sunday. Maybe you will give more out of love for your Savior and his mercy. Sometimes our blessings are taken for granted and we still worry ‘if we’re going to make it.’ But that worry should be put to rest in all of us. Giving out of love is a wonderful thing. Everything will fall into place as planned. No worries, just faith.