Giving out of abundance

When we get our paycheck (it doesn't have my name on it, but David lets me spend it), the first thing we do is write a check to church. After that, anything we give is out of our abundance.

Abundance: an extremely plentiful or oversufficient quantity or supply (dictionary.com)

Sometimes it is hard to think about having an abundance. I think that we are all like that sometimes. You know, you get the poor mes. (Poor me. I drive a 14 year old car (okay that's my husband, but still). Poor me. I can't go to that really cool place you talk about a lot because it is too expensive. Poor me. I am going to squeeze our family of 5 in a 5 passenger compact car. You get the idea.) We all have the poor mes at some point. Of course it would be better to have the Yay Gods! (Yay God! My 14 year old car is not only still running, but doesn't need any repairs! Yay God! We get to go and do things sometimes! Yay God! 3 kids will fit in my car, so I don't have to buy a new one that I can't afford so I won't feel indebted to debt!)

I remember when I was a kid a valuable lesson that my mom taught me one year. She probably doesn't even remember it. It was a year that we couldn't afford school supplies. She got the used pencil bag from the stash and filled it with the longest crayons that she could find out of our butter tub of crayons. I remember as she carefully picked out all the longest crayons and then carefully choose the ones that looked the best for me to take to school. Oh! how she cared about my feelings! She taught me how valuable what we already have is. Realizing what having enough means helps me understand what having an abundance is.

Abundance isn't necessarily having a house full of stuff or a bank account full of money. It is "an oversufficient quantity." Sufficient doesn't mean having more than enough. It is enough.

My family has been blessed this year. Blessed in abundance. The stack of school supplies in my room that I've been able to acquire is proof. Our tummies are full. Our house is cool. We live in abundance. The school supply drive that my MOPS group hosts for two area schools is something that I really enjoy helping with. My phone number is the one listed as the contact number for the drive, so I get the opportunity to receive the phone calls from people who are not having a year of abundance. One particular call stands out in my mind. The father who called was so kind in his asking for help. When I am able to give out of my abundance to those who are not having a year of abundance, I am blessed in the giving and they are blessed in the receiving.

Someone said that there are so many things to give to that it just wasn't feasible to give to every cause. She's right. It isn't. When we are giving out of our abundance, God doesn't ask us to give more than we can or give with an unhappy heart. Giving out of our abundance should be a blessing to us and a blessing to those who receive it. If we give everything that we have and no longer are able to provide for our needs, then we might have not been good stewards of what God provided us with. God charges us to take care of others, but He also provides for us to take care of ourselves.

I'm not sure what each year will bring, but what I do know is that God provides us with so much more than we deserve. This year He has given in abundance.