I was raised with tithing as a part of my life.  When my dad would give us our $1 allowance for the week, it was given to us in ten dimes, with a tithing envelope—and a piggy bank provided too.  We were to give 10 % to the Lord and 10% to the bank, both practices taught to us to secure our future, fiscally and spiritually.

Actually, it was a great lesson.  Giving the dime was no big deal.  As I grew older I was giving the $1 out of $10 and the $10 out of $100.  It was a natural progression that I thought nothing about.  I think back over my life and the Lord has always, always provided for me and my family, many times miraculously and I know it was because I have given what He asked of me.  He has provided jobs that always fit our situation, anonymous donations in the mailbox to pay for car bills, money given by a fellow church member to help us get to a funeral.  My favorite story of God’s provision is the time he gave us a car.  We were on the way to my grandmother’s funeral in the middle of the night, in the middle of Podunk, Mississippi.  Our car started behaving strangely, accelerating by itself!!  Long story short, we pulled in and found we couldn’t get anything repaired until the next morning.  Well, the funeral was the next morning and Bryan was preaching and I was singing. 

I went back to the car in tears.  Brianna said, “Mom, what are we going to do?”  I said, “All we can do is pray.  God knows where we are and what we need. “Five year old Brianna bowed her head and said, “Now God you know we need a car.  Will you help us get one?”  I thought, “How precious.  She is quite naive.  I believe God can provide but He can’t get us a car.”  However, I didn’t share this with my children. 

The next thing I knew Bryan had met a gentleman at the gas station at midnight, who, guess what, restored cars for a living.  He knew about our situation, had just finished a car that day, and was willing to let us take it that night and drive it to Louisiana.  Strangers you meet in the middle of the night, giving you a car.  Turns out this guy had done this before.  He kind of saw it as a ministry.  And I’m so glad he did. 

We learned a mighty lesson that night.  Don’t limit God.  He can do more than you ever imagined.  And our children learned an even greater lesson – God answered Brianna’s prayer.  That was such a powerful moment to experience with her.  I’m glad I never voiced my doubts about the prayer she offered that night.  What a blessing we would have missed because of our unbelief in God’s ability to take care of us.