I've been thinking a lot about stewardship [of finances] and giving [of money and gifts]. In fact, this has been an of-visited train of thought, inspired in large part by the generous people around me and continued wholly by the Holy Spirit who seeks to call me ever higher and stretch my faith further.

A couple weeks ago I read the following here: Being generous is not at odds with thriftiness. In fact, we should scrimp and save so that we have enough to be generous. And I haven't been able to get it out of my thoughts.

You see, I'm a saver. And, yes, I'm a bit of a scrimper. Every month I try to see how little I can spend on food while still maintaining a somewhat healthy diet. (This, of course, is all relative to your idea of "healthy;" my kids might not know what McDonald's is but I sure look like a bottom-dweller compared to some of my more organic friends.) I don't have the coffee table I'd like, I buy the cheapest diapers I can, I opt for dried beans over meat most nights of the week, etc. While in New York city I saw this and thought it wonderful, so Daniel said he was going to buy it for Bronwyn for me. I almost choked. After all, it is still full price and, as the good shopper that I am, I make it a habit to never buy anything full price. (He bought it anyway.)

There are some good roots to my thriftiness: I want to be a witness of His provision, which I assume is helped by looking to the world as though I'm provided for; I believe the Bible when it says that debt puts me in a less-than-desirable spot on the material-chain; I know that living within my means is a good indicator of my contentment; and I think it is wisdom to save for the future instead of using all my means on instant gratification. That said, I've never really thought of saving for giving.

I'm not sure why.

After all, I believe in giving. We have always tithed and supported our local church. We have an account in our monthly budget labeled "Gifts." As long as I don't lose the support letter missionaries can count on us to send them something--even if it's not a whole lot of something. I love buying gifts for family and friends, especially if it's unexpected by the recipient or for a baby. We give money to guest ministry that comes to minister. Etc.

But I haven't been a saver and scrimper firstly to give (beyond basic tithes and offerings). Rather, saving has been a means of both insuring for the future and keeping life (and my wants) simpler and on the back-burner. And what a much better--a much more inspiring and motivating!--reason giving is for saving!

Let me just say that I think it's wise to plan ahead, and I think God does, too. In fact, He was pretty pleased with Joseph when Joseph did just that for Egypt. I also think it's foolish to give more than you actually have, which is why my pattern of giving will still have to be measured so that I don't run out of resources before I get through the calendar year.

I'm talking heart motivations here. You know: why I do what I do. I don't want to serve money because I don't know how to control its out-flow, nor do I want to serve it because I am fearful and afraid of the future, or simply monitoring how much I will be self-serving so I don't overspend, or misunderstanding its ultimate purpose in my life--which is to bless others and build His Kingdom/people.

Last night I wrote up the following and posted it on my kitchen cupboard. I pray it will become the daily reminder for why I am with-holding from and denying the impulses of my material (and sometimes stomach) desires; it sure is a lot more exciting when I look at it this way!

Rules to Save & Spend By

1. We save so we can share.
2. We consider purchases carefully so we can give without hesitation.
3. We spend modestly so we can scatter liberally.

1. We do not save to gain a false sense of security.
2. We will not be stingy toward others in our careful consideration.
3. Our satisfaction is not found in with-holding from ourselves but in giving to the Lord.

Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or - worse! - stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have! You can't worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you'll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can't worship God and Money both. -Matthew 6:19-24 (The Message)