As we transition from closing on our house to the setup of our full-time RV life, we have had the opportunity to pay off a significant amount of debt and in the process of seeing our finances change drastically, I was reflecting on something I have been wanting to write about for a few months now…
God isn’t big enough.
If you knew me, you would never think to hear those words, but that is the place I was at. I trusted God with most everything in my life, except money. I worried about money. I worried about paying bills late and I worried about how we would ever get out of our debt. My mood was directly affected by whether or not we had enough money in our account to pay all of our bills that week. I didn’t completely realize it, but I really let money run my life. I didn’t believe that God was big enough or cared enough to be a part of our finances. If I really thought about what all that worrying was doing… it was me declaring ‘God isn’t big enough.’
It is easy to think that God is just this big guy floating around on clouds, not really interested in our day to day experience or the fine details of our lives. Sure, He may show up in tragedy or a big life-changing moment, but does He really care about all the little things, like the amount of money in my account? I think so.
Let’s get some perspective here, everything IS ‘little’ compared to God.
Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
God takes the time to keep up with how many hairs we have, He seems to be very concerned with the fine details of our lives. He is interested in more than just the highlight reel of our life. He cares about every aspect of who we are because we are His creation made in His image (see Genesis 1:27). He cares for all His creations, including plants, animals, and the environment.
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
If God even meets the needs of birds who are not made in His image, who have no will to choose Him or reject Him, how much more will he care for our needs in detail? Because of God’s care, we can trust Him… with ALL THE THINGS.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Eric and I were on our way home from church one Sunday afternoon a few months back. We had not sold the house yet and to be honest, each week that went by with no activity on the listing made me worry even more. Why? We could still make ends meet, but it was tight and extremely stressful. It had gotten to the point where making our monthly budget calendar would give me anxiety. I hated doing it. Every time that a week would look sparse, I felt like a failure. I had guilted myself into being ashamed of our debt. Eric knew how much budgets and money stressed me out. The subject that day at church was tithing. I had gone back and forth so many times between wanting to tithe to convincing myself that it wasn’t the most responsible thing to do with our limited funds.
Eric had to put everything back into perspective for me. He simply said, “I think we should start tithing, even if we can’t afford it.”
At first, I got defensive. I had thought about it many times but was too scared to take action. I am the one who does our budget and pays the bills and has to worry about everything…. but do I? Should I really worry about anything? If I was REALLY letting God be a part of every aspect of my life, money shouldn’t be a fear.
After an honest and short discussion, we decided that we would give it all to Him. Literally, tithe 10% knowing that WE could not afford to do so. This was a challenge for us to give up ‘control’ of our money and let God take care of our shortcomings. The very next week, we started tithing. 10% was given that week and we didn’t know how but trusted that God would provide enough for us to make everything else work.
If we allow God the opportunity to show up in our lives, He does.
The first week we tithed, I received a large unexpected cash tip from a wedding client. It ‘happened’ to be the amount we needed to finish out our budget and have a little extra for necessities. Wow. God is good, but you really think this will happen every week? Well, the next week we received a sizable refund check from our electric company, the perfect amount too. Ever since we started tithing we have had enough provided to pay bills and maintain everything. Three weeks after this, our house sold. I say it a lot, but it was “a total God thing.”
He absolutely cares for the things you care about because He cares so deeply for you.
Tithing has been an opportunity for us to really let God into the financial side of our lives. The side that I hung onto as my own out of fear and guilt. I am here to tell ya, it is refreshing to let go of the control you thought you had to someone who can do it exponentially better. We gladly give. We give out of joy and obedience to the one who has our back. And we are blessed because of it.
What do you need to give up control over in your life?