We might have heard it said, that those who can, do.  And those who can do more, volunteer. That is something that was modeled for me by my parents, and it’s something I want to model for my girls.  Whether it’s serving on a Point Crew team at church, being a Watch Dog Dad at school, or serving on the PTCO, I regularly remind my head and my heart that this life is not all about me.  “But, you don’t know my schedule,” you might say. Or, “I’m way too busy to help out.” And, “I can hardly keep my head above water.” All fair statements, but we all make time for what’s important.  So that’s why we create margin within our family to save space and time for those opportunities.

Potentially the biggest way we can demonstrate this is through our finances.  Not many things in our Western society are as important to us than our money. We work hard for our money.  We need our money to support our lifestyles. But, is it really our money?  When we shift the idea that our money is actually God’s money, the whole equation changes.  I’m a spreadsheet and numbers guy, so I like things to make mathematical sense.  In God’s economy, formulas don’t always compute the way my brain thinks they should.  How in the world am I supposed to give away money right off the top and still have enough money left over for my mortgage, utilities, car payment, and Starbucks coffee?  Plus, I’ve found that real joy comes in growing my giving over time. How does it work? Don’t ask me, but somehow God’s Excel spreadsheet ties out every time.

For me, life is about giving over getting.  And the funny thing is, the more I give, the more I seem to get.