Being rich in God-

You will never out-give God.

From early on in life I began tithing, struggling to surrender fully but looking to serve Him none the less.

He has given me your daddy, working out dating dilemmas and hope-dashed heartbreaks, to the altar-finish line.

He has given me your grandparents who reared me in the things of Himself, full of kindness and joy.  

He has given me your brothers, boy-treasures, alive with life.

He has given our family innumerable financial gifts at times of significance - cars, computers, checks, college, cards,  -- to the point of embarrassment to share the sheer mountain amount of generosity.

He has taken whatever small things I have given up and returned them 100-fold. 100-fold, if not more. Who in their right mind wouldn’t  trade 1 thing for 100 thinks? [the catch being you don’t get to see the 100 before hand or get to choose what each one is-- but don’t worry ; you’d never even dream up the vast majority of these numbered blessings]

I remember one morning having the brief thought of wanting to buy a quilting hoop while I was to be out later in town.  I forgot all about this that day at the store -- but when I returned to the house in the afternoon, there was a large quilting hoop sitting on my side door step [how random and expensive an item!] with no explanation attached whatsoever. All I had was the encouragement of the Holy Spirit that He knows our hearts desires and loves to bless us.

He has placed me in a ministry where there is as much to do as the day is long, granting fulfilling work to my hands and putting to use my area of study and passion.

He has brought my loneliness into community. I could not ask for more king-friends in my life.  They go out of their way to bless me.  I find myself bursting at the seams with love and investments from these ladies in my life.  

Those not walking with Jesus look at His call to follow as the loss of their life -- but don’t you see? -- the fullness of blessing is in His hands!  Laying things down only means empty open hands to receive blessings from a kind creative God, whose Father’s heart delights in you.