Faith in a Little Black Pouch
May 29, 2009
Yesterday.
It was sitting on my pillow… a squarish package wrapped in a flowered piece of cloth and tied up with a girls hair ribbon. My girls had been playing again. I actually had seen the parcel earlier in the evening. I had thought about getting after the kids about leaving their toys laying around. I let it ride this time. They were asleep anyway.
I had come home from an important meeting with a man who is helping us develop ways of funding this ministry. When I got home my daughter Raegan asked if my meetings went well. I told her they had and shared a couple of stories about the time in Lansing.
Now, nearly five hours later I undid the ribbon just out of curiosity. I am always surprised what my girls will wrap up and pretend is a present. Inside the package was a little, black, lacy-ribbonned satchel. It felt like paper folded up inside. I was smiling as I realized that they were playing with real money. There was thirty one dollars in the package. I would talk to them tomorrow about being more careful with their money. Then I saw the note.
It said, in neat hand-writitng, “Only give back what you don’t use… Please take for barn sake.”
My heart stopped. I looked at my wife whose eyes were already tearing up. I counted again and stared at the note. You see earlier in the week this same ten-year-old daughter came to Dawn and told her that she felt as if God was trying to speak to her but she hadn’t figured out what he wanted to do. I guess she figured it out.
Earlier this year, she received a gift of $100. Each of my daughters did. They divided it into their three allocations: tithe, savings and spending. She also heard God tell her to give it all to the barn fund.
That would mean that a little girl outgave most of the people who asked to be included on our support team. There is no shame in that for anyone except for those whom God prompted to give and didn’t. For me… there was shame.
I wanted to tell her to take her money back. I wanted to spare her from a faith that asks everything. I wanted to spare her disappointment. The price tag on the barn is nearly two million dollars. Her huge gifts move us forward so little. These days have been awful tough financially for our staff and missionaries. People forget to give when summer approaches, the economy tightens or they need a new car. We are seriously looking (for the first time) at alternative ways to reduce costs, like reducing salaries or layoffs. My daughter wants us to take every dollar she has and build a student center with it. GUT CHECK.
I will take her gift. I will give it to the God who told her to give it and I will believe that He can build a barn which costs two million dollars out of thirty one. I have never been more proud of my children. I have never been as afraid for them. I will wrap them up in a little package and tie it with a Father’s ribbon. My note says this, “Only give back what you do not use. For the barn.” I will lay them on the altar again.
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I’m trying not to cry. What an amazing example. Makes me feel like such a cheapo. It reminds me of the feeding of the 5 thousand. God takes our “tiny” and makes it “larger than life”. Wow.
So your daughter is modeling behavior she’s observed in your life and in Dawn’s? Hallelujah!!!! Way to go, Mom, Dad!