Some things are better caught than taught.
I learned a lot about giving from my dad – not because he sat me down and taught me how to give – but because I watched him do it.
My dad was a union steelworker on the south side of Chicago for 38 years. Every Friday was payday. Every Friday he cashed his check at the bank and brought home a wallet full of $20 bills. For you younger readers, this was before the days of direct deposit, credit cards, and ATM cards.
When he came home from work, I watched him sit at the dining room table with my mom. The first he did was count out a certain number of bills and put them in the church offering envelope. The offering envelope then went into his Bible to bring to church the following Sunday morning.
What did I learn by catching my dad doing this?
First, I learned that giving was a top priority. My dad put money in the offering envelope before he gave money to my mom for groceries; before he put aside money for the mortgage; before he spent money on anything else. God was first place in his life. His giving reflected that.
Second, I learned that giving was proportionate to his income. The more money he made in a given week because of overtime or side jobs, the more money went into the offering envelope. Dad gave a fixed percentage of his income every week.
Third, I learned that giving was to be done regularly. Because Dad was paid every Friday, I witnessed his giving every Friday. He didn’t give once a month or on special occasions. He gave whenever he was paid.
Fourth, I leaned that giving was sacrificial. Dad put money in that envelope no matter how good the week was. And there were some lean weeks. Many times I overheard discussions about what how certain purchases would just have to wait. There just wasn’t enough money at that time. But money still went in the offering envelope every week – still went in the Bible.
Finally, I learned that giving was a privilege and something to done cheerfully. I never heard Dad complain about how he could have more money if didn’t give. He never talked about giving in order to gain God’s favor. Giving for him was a privilege; something that made him glad. My dad was a cheerful giver.
Some things are better caught than taught.
I often wonder what my daughters are catching from me. I pray that when it comes to giving, they’re catching the same thing I caught from their grandpa.
