Windows of Heaven

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

 (Old Testament, Malachi 3:10)

So, we've been talking about how this scripture applies to our time.  The following is a conversation with my husband.  It turned out differently than i thought it would, but it  is honest and blunt, and gets to the crux of the question.  See what you think.

Me:  So, I've been thinking about our fourth quarter experiment for the year and this is what I've sort of come up with, what if we tithe our time.

Him: What do you mean?

Me:  I mean, look at the older kids.  They spend almost 4 hours of a fourth hour school/work week sharing their time with little kids tutoring in reading and Chinese.  I know those hours are part of  the service they need to do for a school project, but still, they provide a great service and they love that time.  What if we all looked at what we could do, or maybe what we are already doing, and see what we can offer more?

Him:  Well, if you include what we are already doing, I say great.  Here's the thing.  I get up every day and go to work.  I work all day and come home.  Then I spend all evening doing dinner, homework, kid stuff and other things with the family.  I almost never run or play my guitar.  I feel like my time is all tithed out in the support of my family.  Then, I look at what the kids are doing.  They are great kids, but have you seen their bedrooms?  Have they even had stewardship over anything but their own stuff since we moved?  It's frustrating to feel like we work so hard, and they don't even take care of the smallest things beyond going to school.

I was taken back by his strong reaction.  But I forged on.

Me:  You are absolutely right.  They need to get back in the habit of cleaning their rooms and having an area of stewardship in the house.  And, I just had an epiphany that maybe you're right.  Maybe you already tithe AND offer all of your time out in the service of your family.  So, maybe what we need is a miracle.  Just like we have seen miracles financially when we live this law with money, maybe we could see miracles of time if we really put it to the test in how we give of ourselves.

Him:  I think it's great what the kids are doing.  But i really want them to get back to the basics.  Seems like the law of tithes and offerings has two parts, obviously.  The first part is tithing.  That is what we are required to give.  The second part is offering, that part does not have a mandated amount.  So, what if we look at our time, or their time, in those ways.  I want to be sure we are meeting the tithing part first - taking care of our responsibilities and stewardships in order to establish a foundation.  And, then, move forward with the offering part - looking at what we can do above and beyond what is required of us.

Me:  I think that sounds great.  The only thing is, I wonder if we can't do them simultaneously.  Take care of the needful as we try to go the extra mile.  I really need the windows of heaven to open up for my time, and I know you do to.  It's just an experiment, but do you believe it could actually work?

Him: Of course, I just don't think we (here, I think he really means the kids and me) should neglect the most important things at home as they are out doing their service in the world.

Me:  True. Let's talk to them about reestablishing our tradition of taking care of our stuff and stewardships.

Him:  I could go for that.

After this conversation I realized.  The miracle I most hope for all of us, especially my husband, is for more time to develop our talents and pursue the things we love to do.    But, when the windows of Heaven open, you usually get way more than you bargain for.  

More to come.

Tithe Your Time

"Yeah. I know we can't do everything to solve all of the problems of the world, but it does seem like we can do something more..."

This was the end of a long conversation I had with one of my children about the weight of the world and how to make a difference in it. It came at an opportune moment as we stand at the crossroads of our next fourth quarter experiment.

Photo Credit

Each previous experiment brought life altering perspective and semi-lasting change to the way we view the world around us. I say semi-lasting because with each experiment we had things that carried over into the rest of our lives and routines, and we had areas where our commitment faltered and requires a recommit. Here's a rough recap.

1. No More Grocery Shopping - October 2008
Experiment Parameters: During this experiment we were at the height of our financial ladder and decided it would be good to start preparing for a rainy day. We went almost six weeks without going to the grocery store and saved $1000 in our budget just by not going to the store, eating out, spending gas and time away, etc.

Carryovers: a)my aversion to going to the grocery store, b) my delight at finding local producers that don't really sell in grocery stores, i.e. bountiful baskets and farmers markets, and c) our use of a pretty substantial basement food storage. 

Recommittals: AVOID the grocery store. More to come on what this will look like this time around.

2.Buy Nothing New - October 2009
Experiment Parameters:This experiment came during our year of un/self/under-employment. This was the year we bought NOTHING new for christmas. We shopped everything second hand, home made gifts and got creative and avoided the whole holiday rat-race altogether. As stressful as that year was, the holiday season was so peaceful. We got to Christmas and Gordon was working for a classy outfit that didn't believe in paying their executives over the holiday season. Thankfully, we had chosen this experiment before we realized we wouldn't get a pay check until January.

Carryovers: We always have home made things for the holidays.

Recommittals: Buy less stuff in general, especially during the holidays. Get more creative about second hand and repurposed items.

One of my best, "nothing new" finds - a bunch of Bionicles in a bag at a thrift store,

 enough to build at least dozen guys, all for $3

 

3. October 2010 - We sort of took the year off. I think I was tired.

4. Live On What You Give - October 2011
Experiment Parameters: This was our best experiment yet. We all learned a lot about giving to those in need and living on less than we think we need. We cut our grocery budget in HALF. We went from spending over $600/month on groceries to about $300, helped people around us, connected with what it is to live on less-than-food stamps at our dinner table, and witnessed 10 major and minor miracles. We had enough and to spare. We received A LOT more than we gave.

Carryovers: We kept our level of giving where it was during the experiment for another several months beyond and increased it again when we got a better job.

Recommittals: We need to LIVE on what we give again. While we are living within our means, we could really do better, especially on discretionary funds that get spent on food.

Hoping for more of the same from this year's experiment,  I went to bed that night pondering the points made in the conversation, particularly the end, and prayed for inspiration on what to do next. I woke with these words in my mind.

"Tithe your time."

What do you think of when you hear those words?