#267 Be faithful. “…fix your attention on God.
Cindy and Steve were making final plans for their summer vacation. They had considered some trips close to home, yet their dream trip to Yellowstone kept bouncing back into the discussion. They thought about the uncertain gas prices this year, the fact that their oldest child will start high school in the fall and wouldn’t be available for family vacations much longer, and the fact that they usually traveled home to Michigan to see family. Finally they decided to “go for it” and head west to Yellowstone.
The next Sunday, Steve started writing the check for their offering. He found Cindy and asked, “What do you think about giving less to the church this summer to make sure we have enough money for our vacation?” She said, “I guess it’s okay…I don’t know,” as she ran off to comb little Lily’s hair.
When it came time for the offering, their 10 year old son took his turn at putting the envelope in the plate. Steve noticed that he was studying it pretty closely. When they got out to the car, Tyler asked, “How come you gave less to the church today, Dad?” Steve looked at Cindy, who stared straight ahead at the road. He replied, “Well, your mother and I were thinking about taking a special vacation this summer. You know that Kristy’s going to high school next year and…” Kristy interrupted, “Mom said you were thinking about taking us to Yellowstone instead of going to Grandma and Grandpa’s this year. Why would we want to do that? It doesn’t seem very faithful to me for us to give less to the church just so we can take a trip to see Old Faithful!”
After the kids were in bed, Cindy brought Steve the checkbook and said, “I just went online and signed up to have our regular tithe sent to the church every week through online banking. Do you want to write a check to make up the difference this week or should I?” “I will,” he said. “And I’ll call my folks to make sure we can come during our usual week in August. Maybe we can take the ferry or do something special while we’re in Michigan this year and start a new tradition.”
God is Still In Control!
Miss Lladale Carey
Web Producer
UMCGivin.org
lcarey@umcom.org
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