A Child's Commitment

I’m a pastor. I was signing letters thanking people for their financial commitments to our church, when one letter caught my eye.

The commitment was for 25 cents per week, which would have seemed insignificant except that it came from a young child.

That commitment card may have been the most important in the pile, not because of the size of the gift but because of what it meant to the giver and what it would continue to mean in the years to come.

It reminded me of what my parents taught me: The first ten per cent of what I earned delivering newspapers belonged to God. I started tithing then and I’ve been doing it ever since.

Reading that card also made me think about the future. I have no idea where the child’s path may lead.

The practice of financial discipline could someday turn into the largest pledge made to a congregation. The involvement with God’s work may lead into a life’s work that changes many people’s lives.

The same day I signed that letter, a couple came to talk with me about how they might give a large gift to enable our congregation to extend its ministry significantly.

The size of the two gifts differed greatly but the spirit in which they were given was the same.

Prayer: Dear God, teach us to give generously. Amen