Day 37: Joyful Giving
Before we were married, my wife and I completed marriage counseling to make sure we had all of those “hard” conversations ahead of time. Something I’d highly recommend. One of the topics we discussed was about how we wanted to represent ourselves as a couple. I have been blessed with great teachings at home growing up. I remember sitting under my dad learning applications from the Bible. In addition, they’d encourage me to read the Bible myself. My parents were amazing examples in giving their lives fully to God, including their wallets. One thing I wanted to work for in marriage was to always 'be generous', as my parents were. I knew God would bless us as long as we made sure we gave Him honor first. For a young couple starting out in marriage, this was something we definitely wanted to invest in with what we had and in whatever the future may hold for us. We see the benefits of living generously in Psalm 37: The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers. Those the Lord blesses will possess the land, but those He curses will die. The Lord directs the steps of the godly, He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread. The godly always give generous loans to others, and their children are a blessing. doAs a young engaged couple, my wife and I agreed that yes, this is what we want our future to look like. We started with the little we had and continued to live our lives with open hands to joyfully give everything we have to God. This scripture means so much more even now to us as we want to provide daily for our children. Over a decade later, we pray that we can be the example of joy-filled giving as an example for them to follow, that our grandchildren will be a blessing.