Giving or Tithing
Why You Should Give to Charity
So you are trying to
cut down your expenses in order to be able to afford staying home with your children, and I’m telling you that you need to
SPEND 10% of everything you earn??
You must think I’m nuts!
But actually, I’m dead serious.
My goal is not just to help you afford to stay a SAHM, but to help you afford to do so while being happy.
It is important for us to give back to charitable organizations that we believe in, for a number of reasons.
It is up to every-day citizens like you and I to take care of the charitable world.
We cannot depend on our government to do that for us. When we give of our own resources, we can choose charities and causes that our family believes in, and help them financially. With government assistance, we can not choose who to help.
When we tithe, it comes back to us.
I do not care if you believe in God’s promises, or if you believe in money karma, but when you give, cheerfully, unselfishly to the world, it will come back to you tenfold.
The laws of money say that when you freely circulate charitable money into the world, money will be attracted back to you. For those who do not know or understand this principal, I encourage you to try it. Then you will understand what I mean.
Donating money teaches our children to help those less fortunate than themselves.
I don’t know about you, but since I was given the enormous responsibility of caring for, raising, and teaching my children, I have been extra careful about what actions and behaviors I exhibit around them.
I have my own bad habits, and bad attitudes, that I try not to influence them by, but, I also go out of my way to show them some of the good things that I do. Things like giving to our favorite organizations, which, through their
allowance
they do as well.
When we tithe (which simply means one-tenth) we help ourselves.
We feel good inside, we feel successful, and we feel powerful.
There is not a reason on this earth that everyone, no matter how much or how little you make, should not be giving.
Do you have to start out with 10% right away?
No.
Most people find it easier to start with 1-2% and move up from there. Listen, I know how hard this can be on a
limited budget
, but you need to plan this in advance, and do what your heart is telling you to do.
When we decided to start tithing to our church, we started with donating just $50 a week.
Every month, we added an additional $5 a week.
So Month 2 we gave $55 a week, Month 3 we gave $60 a week, and Month 11 we gave $100 a week.
It was much easier for me to do this in a climbing manner than to just shell out $100 a week from the beginning.
It does not matter if your income is great or small; you need to give back 10% to the world.
Does it have to be a church?
Of course not!
Many people who give 10% of their income are not religious in any way. Others, like me, choose to divide the 10% into several organizations.
Our family personally contributes, on a regular basis, to our church and these NPOs (non-profit organizations).
Keep in mind, that many of the NPOs we participate in have a Christian background.
Though we are Christians, this site is not intended as a Christian outreach site.
There are a plethora of NPOs out there without any religious connotations whatsoever.
Find the charities and causes that you believe in, and support them.
Heifer International
I really love this NPO because they practice the “teach a man to fish” mentality.
They provide farm animals and supplies to needy communities throughout the world, not to feed people, but to teach them to farm the animals for profit. This allows the families and communities to learn how to sustain themselves.
This is my son’s favorite charity to give his allowance to. He is always saying “Mom, do I have enough money to buy a flock of chickens this week?”
Sheridan House Family Ministries
This is a local ministry that helps troubled youth and single mothers. I have donated money and actual goods to this ministry.
The director, Dr. Robert Barnes, has written several informative parenting books, which are for sale on the website and benefit the ministry. I actually became involved with this NPO after attending a parenting conference with Dr. Barnes as the guest speaker. I was very impressed, and have taken further courses from him.
Missionary Ventures
We help to support a missionary family, The Bendeles’, through this worldwide missionary organization.
During the holidays we give extra to:
Operation Christmas Child
My children each get a shoebox, and collect small toys, games, and candy for another girl or boy in an underprivileged country each year. It is a Christmas tradition in our home.
Our Local Shelters.
We always donate money, canned goods, and/or new unwrapped presents to our local food banks, homeless shelters,
Toys for Tots
We donate money to Toys for Tots and local churches that have outreach programs. We can be counted on to provide Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter turkeys (or the money for them) to the local soup kitchens.
Of course, there are other organizations that would benefit from your donations.
Check out the local NPOs in your area.
Some people ask if the rule is 10% of your net income or gross income.
Taxes don't count.
The whole idea of taking taxes out first from your paycheck is a new concept. Tithing is as old as human civilization. It should be 10% of your gross wages, though, again, this can be built over time.
Other people wonder if donating time, or items like canned goods or clothing to Goodwill or the Salvation Army will work instead.
Donating your time and non-monetary resources to a cause you believe in is very important. It is something our family does also, in addition to donating our financial resources. But in the end, in order to satisfy the money karma, or whatever you want to call it, tithing should be done with monetary resources.
There is a wonderful book written by Ed Blitz called The 10 Percent Solution that talks more about this subject, including money karma. (It is currently out of print, so check your local library.) It also goes into detail about the concept of
paying yourself first.
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