I Love Because He Loved Me When I Had Nothing

I tend to think of us as not well off. Oh, we aren't poor. I know that. Even in rich America, we aren't considered poor. We aren't comfortably well-off.....but definitely not poor. We could be comfortable if I went back to work. We used to have plenty of money. We didn't even need to keep a close eye on the checkbook because there was just enough money. And friends, we ate out a lot.

But that would go against so many things that we have come to cherish and hold in high priority. Our situation is the result of decisions we have made about what's important.

So what is my point of all this? Surely you didn't click over here to hear my State of the Finances Address.

It's just that earlier today I was worrying about spending too much on Christmas. I was thinking about how we need to be really careful and how there just isn't a lot of extra waiting in the wings.

Just now it hit me--God wants me to share anyway.

I have this....this....pre-thought in the back of my head. It's not really a conscious thought, but it's something that affects how I operate nevertheless. I have this pre-thought that if we just were more comfortable, then I would be able to share more. I would give to more charities. I would give more to church. I would help the poor. I would do all these things if I just had a bit more money myself.

God didn't say to help those in need if you have the means. He said to help those in need. He said whatever you have done for the least of one of these, you have done for Me. For Him. For our Lord.

Do I really think that we are so pitiful that I don't have anything to share? No. It's that I'm guarding what we do have. Or what we MIGHT need. I can't give our canned goods to the food drive, what would we eat? I can't spend $15 on fleece to make blankets for the people sleeping in their cars this winter....we might need that money. I can't just go foolishly giving away the things God has provided for our family!

Please forgive me, Lord. Everything we have came from You. I will share because You shared with me. I will give because You gave to me. I will help those in need because You told us to.

And you didn't put a stipulation about being comfortable first in that statement either.