A Money Meeting at the Kitchen Table

It was there that we made the decision.

When I was a new pastor serving my first, full-time appointment, my wife, Joy, and I had only been married a few years. Like many young couples, we were struggling financially. I remember well our money meeting at the kitchen table. Things weren’t going very well for us financially. It was there that we made the decision to commit our money to God. We literally got on our knees at the kitchen table and asked God to help us handle the money entrusted to us in a faithful way, and we committed to tithing, giving 10% of our income to the church. Our financial situation didn’t completely change overnight, but it did begin to change for the better. 

That was twenty years ago. Today we live with no debt except the mortgage on our home. The first thing we do with our income each month is give to the church. We have two daughters in college, braces on the third girl (finally!), and a car that’s older than all of them, but we give more than ever to support the work of God’s kingdom through Salem. Is it difficult to give away such a big percentage of income? It’s not about whether it’s tough or easy. It’s simply about intentionally choosing how to use our money.

The first choice that we have made over the years with our money is to give in response to God’s abundant grace in our lives. It is a joyful and thankful response of delight for God’s rich gifts to us. Though that’s reason enough for giving, there’s more. We intentionally choose to give, as Jesus and the church have taught us, because it supports the church’s mission to make disciples of Jesus who transform the world. We give because, as followers of Jesus, we are called to have the character of Jesus. And we give so that we are not defined by our money, so that we are not captive to our wealth.

In the church we call these money choices “stewardship.” Being stewards means that we are managers of the household, but it is God’s household, not ours. God, the Creator and owner of all that is, says, “Here, I’m giving you all that I have. Take care of it. Manage it. Be fruitful. Make good things happen.” Stewardship means faithfully using what God has entrusted to us and in a way that pleases God.

Once a mom and dad gave their daughter a car. They said, “Take care of it. This is your transportation. Be careful but have fun.” Their daughter didn’t take care of the car. She drove recklessly. She didn’t perform regular maintenance. The engine had some issues. The car got scratched and dented. Finally, she caused a bad accident that just about destroyed the car. Her parents were saddened by the way she had behaved with this wonderful gift. They had the car towed to their garage and began working on it at home, fixing it, restoring it.

While they were fixing it up, they asked their daughter to help. She replaced parts and learned how the different systems worked. She discovered how much the car cost. She put in the work and the hours right next to her parents. She began to take responsibility for the car. She realized its value as her transportation.

After several months the restoration was complete. It was almost as good as new. When the parents handed her the keys once more, they had faith that their daughter would behave differently this time. She had participated in the restoration. She had taken responsibility. Still, one of their neighbors thought they were fools.

Sometimes when we receive a gift, we don’t understand what we’ve been given and we don’t behave well. The Creation is an amazing gift from God. God said, “Take care of it. Be good stewards.” But we didn’t. So God came to us in Jesus to save Creation. And then God asked us to help so we might see differently and take responsibility. God has faith that we’ll behave differently. Still, some think God is a fool.