Debbie Feenstra serves God as Coordinator for Congregations and Missionaries with LCMS Foundation Ministries Support. Debbie shares a wonderful story about her son Henk.
An old saying suggests: "Insanity is hereditary...you catch it from your children." Debbie knows you can catch a lot more than that.
It was a few years back during the Lenten season. Henk must have been eight or nine at the time. Being widowed I'm always careful about money. Anyway, I give the kids their lunch money for the week on Sunday morning when I write my check for the Sunday offering. At that time, each child got a $10 bill. The money was to last them all week to buy hot lunches at school, with a little left over to save or spend.
That particular Sunday, when the offering plate was passed, Henk dropped his full $10 into the offering plate. I just looked at him. I didn't know what to do. All I could think of was that I would have to give him another $10 for lunch money. I leaned over and asked: "Why did you do that? That was your lunch money!" He began to cry. I felt bad so I patted his leg and said it was okay.
On the way home I asked again why he put all his lunch money into the offering. I explained that we tithe to God but we have to keep enough back to pay our bills!
With the innocence of a child, he looked at me and said: "Mom, today in Sunday school we learned that Jesus gave us everything because He loves us and that we should give everything we have back to Jesus. That $10 was all I had."
Then it was my turn to cry. Since that time I have never asked about what he puts into the offering plate. When I think of giving money I always remember the lesson he taught me.