Our Summit Sunday is coming up on the Sunday just before Thanksgiving. It's that one time of year where we conspicously talk about money because we are working away at paying down our mortgage as quickly as possible. On that Sunday everything we give (except for missions and special needs) goes to pay down the principle. On our website is a link you can click to see who much we have already saved in interest and how much more we can save still.
We think about giving in a lot of ways. For some it’s all in the numbers, objective raw data. For some it’s a matter of discipline or routine. And for some it’s about joy or faithfulness or gladness or blessing.
Over the years I’ve come to think about giving as doing something beautiful for God. When our children are small and can think of no way to express how much we mean to them, they will come to us with a water color painting still dripping wet … or a crayon colored figure with a big smile with their name proudly and crookedly printed below it.
I just got a big envelope from Indonesia from my grandkids (that's them in the pic!)that was packed with their artistic renderings ... each one with a "I love you Papa" or "I love you Mimi" on it. We have already plastered them all over our fridge. Like all kids, they just want us to know that they notice us. That they value us. So they do something beautiful for us. As beautiful as they know how to do.
So when we give to God we are doing something beautiful for Him. It is our water color. It is our crayon masterpiece. It is our way of saying that we notice Him and all that He means to us. And you know what? He is genuinely grateful.
So this note of thanks is my small way of saying that the beautiful thing you have done for God already this year is probably already hanging on His fridge. And what we all do on Summit Sunday will probably make it there too. Like all good fathers ... and mothers, His heart is gladdened by what His kids do for him. So on His behalf, thanks!
...just thinkling
