This blog’s focus on money is not always good for my mental health. I realized that the other night when I had to sit down and write a monthly devotional study resource for our church, based on the readings and sermon for the week. I sat and considered abundance, and giving, and realized that I’ve spent way too much time lately focusing on scrimping and scarcity.

The Jewish tradition, carried over to the Christian one, is to tithe — you give the first 10 percent of your wealth to God, as a reminder of what’s supposed to come first. I know we have a pledged regular amount to our church; I know it’s nowhere near 10 percent.

The pastor’s sermon on this made me twitchy and defensive.

“We’ve used up our emergency savings and we’re supposed to tithe?”

But when I sat down later, I realized the mechanics of tithing were not his point.

The amount is not the point.

It’s not even the money, per se, that is the point.

The living and giving part is. Starting with thankfulness.

Not to get too Oprahy on you, but try this — sit and count the people, places, and things that rock your world, and then try to worry about money (or anything else). When I considered the real wealth in my life, I could feel my shoulders ease away from my ears. Hope and possibility expanded like a Kansas sky, and the “it’s not enough” worry shrank to a mid-day shadow.

This doesn’t solve our cash flow problems. Or the question of whether or not we’ll actually tithe, although I know we will continue to give, and increase our giving to charity as we’re more able.

(Check out A. J. Jacobs‘s “The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible.” Tithing, he found in his own research, was a byzantine system of rules very much like our tax system today. It’s not listed on the site, but my favorite entry for it in his book is the index listing, “tithing: literary agent’s fee not regarded as.”)

But, as cheesy as it might sound, just actually taking the time to have — wow, a Thanksgiving revelation — was an excellent illustration to me of how money can separate us from God. Or if you don’t believe in God, from the larger thing of life. Spirituality. Humanity. Your family. Your friends. Each other. Of course really anything we want to keep for ourselves or worry into too much importance can qualify here, but you get the idea. Since the mental “my” almost always precedes “money,” it’s just a good default.

Wishing you real rest and joy this week. Happy early Thanksgiving.

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Tags:   A. J. Jacobs · Oprah · thankfulness · Thanksgiving · tithe4 Comments