Did You Say Thriving or Tithing?

My son, who will be eleven next month, recently made the switch from public school to private school. He was excited about the change and had even requested it, but the transition brought with it a gap in learning and numerous tear-filled after school study sessions to get caught up. I watched my son, who was used to making all ‘A’s without ever having to study, now face a rigorous curriculum. He spent many frustrated hours at the dining room table each evening, in those early weeks, just to make a passing grade. 

Let me clarify, my daughter is still in public school. I spent eight wonderful years as a public school teacher, so this is not a knock at the school system. My point is that I watched my son work harder than I ever had and wanted to reward his efforts. I told him I would pay him $1.00 for every test he made an ‘A’ on. Not only did this reward his hard work but it provided him, for the very first time, the opportunity for weekly income. And for me, it provided the perfect time to teach him about tithing. 

I took out my roll of ten dimes and applicable Bible verses and talked him through the concept. It was an easy concept for him to understand but the word “tithing” was too foreign for him to remember. Taping paper to a small glass jar he wrote the words, “God First” and said, “Look mom, it’s my thriving jar.”  (Did you notice the ‘R’ in that word? It was not a typo.)

His precious gesture and comment is a concept that we can cast over all areas of our life. It is only when we put God first that we find ourselves truly thriving. God does call us to tithe and put Him first in our area of finances, but we are also called to put God first in all areas of our lives. As I zoom out on my son’s God First jar, you can see that it sits among a mess. 

It is in the middle of an array of necessities, distractions and entertainment items—not much different than some categories we may find in our own lives. But it does remain toward the front, and top of his mind--his "thriving jar." It's a sweet reminder for me that God should always be first in all areas of my life. As seasons change, this sometimes is easier than other times and sometimes requires I pause and readjust some things that may have gotten out of order.

I encourage you to take a personal inventory of all areas of your life. Is God first in your areas of relationships, work, family, entertainment, time, money, in everything? 

Some ways to tell if this is out of balance is if there is an area that brings you greater anxiety than other areas. Are there areas where you exert more effort to try to control things? Do you notice an area where you find yourself more being reactive vs. being able to respond patiently? Or perhaps you identify an area that you pray about less than other areas. This list is not comprehensive but merely a starting part. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you any areas in your life where God may need to be placed back on His throne and ask Him for the courage to help you do so.

It is important to steward well our time, talent and treasures. God calls us to do so. Putting God First in all areas is counter-cultural but in doing so it is where we find the path to true joy. This concept is threaded throughout scripture. As you take the time to assess if everything is ordered as it should be and make any needed adjustments, my hope for you is that you find yourself truly thriving. 

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(Although there are many scriptures that discuss tithing, the following are the ones I used to teach the concept to my son, that seemed to work well for his understanding: Leviticus 27:30, Proverbs 3:9, Malachi 3:6-12, Matthew 6:19-21, Mark 12:41-44).