01 January 2014

The Blessings of Tithing

"...prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." -Malachi 3:10

Sometimes that blessing is more literally fulfilled than others. A few weeks ago was one of those times. I'm still not really sure why, but one night I had someone show up at my house with several bags of groceries for me, a Christmas gift from the ward he said... Words really failed me, and they still do when I think of it. I really don't like to ask for help, and it's hard for me to accept it (control complex, pride, or maybe both haha), but I was so thoroughly humbled by this kind and generous gesture.

I won't deny that I've pretty much been living off of rice and beans and toast for the last several months... not because I CAN'T get other food, but because I'm budgeting as carefully as possible. So I tried my best to talk them into taking this food to someone else who really needed it... but for some reason they were under strict instructions to force their generosity onto me. So I finally just gave in, expressed my gratitude as profusely as possible, and then went inside to try and find a place for it all.

We have a small kitchen, and I have 2 cupboards as my designated space for food... I therefore had to stack food on top of the cabinets. Luckily the fridge was mostly empty as my housemates were preparing to leave for holiday, and I was able to cram the rest into our tiny freezer. But literally, if they'd brought even one more item, it would've just had to sit on the counter because there was NO MORE ROOM!




Why yes that is Mint Cookie ice cream. The deluxe version.

And this one is called Chocolatina, which I thought was a fabulous name.
This was my first ice cream in MONTHS, which is basically like denying my soul of its lifeblood. I mean, I AM a Blackburn for heaven's sake. This was just the tender mercy cherry on top of an already magnanimous miracle. 
This happened on a Monday. And every day for the rest of that same week, the blessings just kept on coming. An extension for my job, a mark of distinction on my video project, my video winning 1st place in class, completing all my research and papers with plenty of time to spare, etc. I really felt so strongly all week that each of those blessings was directly related to my paying tithing the previous Sunday.

I know that the Law of Tithing is for OUR good, not because God wants or needs my measly money. But He does want my whole heart, and He does want to bless me... because He LOVES me! Not because I earn His love or His blessings with each pound I pay in tithing, but just because I am His daughter and He wants to make me happy and bless me with all that He has. I love that about Him. And I'm grateful that He loves to exist even in the smallest details of my life. Gracias Padre Celestial.

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