Peace Friends,
We’ve been talking a lot about commitments this month. That’s because of Commitment Sunday on May 23rd. On Commitment Sunday you’ll have the opportunity to make a weekly financial commitment to giving at SCC. What is God calling you to give? You’ll be given a card at the end of worship and will have the opportunity to fill it out and turn it in during worship as an act of worship to God.
Lately, Sarah and I have been contemplating our financial commitment to God in more ways than one. That’s because we’re expecting a child in December! OK, get up off the floor. Yes, “we” (the expectant father books tell me to say “we”) are pregnant. No, it wasn’t an “accident” (are children ever really an “accident”?). Yes, we are very EXCITED and also very much FREAKING OUT! Now, we’re not completely out of the woods yet at this stage in the pregnancy, but we felt it was time to share it anyway. Who better to gain support from than our church family?
So as I was reading The Expectant Father the other night and Sarah was sitting across the room reading What to Expect When You’re Expecting, she looked up at me and asked, “What are you reading about?” She expected me to say something like, “Well, I’m being told to be patient with your strange food cravings and aversions,” but what I actually said was, “A chapter on how to pay for college.” This followed on the heels of a chapter about how much this whole pregnancy thing is going to cost. Answer: anywhere from $5000 to $25,000. Thank you, God, for good health insurance, and please provide for those who do not yet have such good health insurance.
It’s beginning to dawn on me just how expensive having a kid actually is. Who invented these money traps anyway? Oh…God. Thank you, God, for the blessings of children. It is very tempting in this time of added expense to give in to a hunker-down mentality when it comes to our personal finances. Surely we need to stop giving money away and begin saving up for all the what-ifs. What if Sarah’s pregnancy doesn’t go so well? What if the baby needs extra help? What if I have to begin saving for college? What if…What if…What if… In times like this I have to remind myself that we’re called to live not by fear but by faith. God has provided. God is providing. God will provide.
In this new chapter in our lives, Sarah and I are being given an opportunity to grow in our trust of God’s provision. Our commitment to give generously back to God by giving to SCC during our Commitment Sunday on May 23rd is going to be harder than ever to make, but that’s what we’re called to do. The “weights” will be a little heavier to lift this time around, but that means that the spiritual muscle will grow a bit stronger in the process and deepen our love for God just a bit more.
What’s going on in your own life that is tempting you to a hunker-down mentality? How might that situation be just the right opportunity to trust when it is hard to trust, and just the right time to grow in God’s love, grace, and mercy exactly because it will be harder? Commitments can be difficult to make some times, but relationships are built on commitments. What commitment is God calling you to for Commitment Sunday?
Peace,
Tom
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