Exercise the Practice of Giving

Exercise the Practice of Giving

Jami Day

My whole life I was extremely thin.  So much so, that in high school I was teased, and some accused me of having an eating disorder.  To stop the bullying, I would wear two pairs of pants to school to look heavier.  Because of my high metabolism, I never had to practice eating healthy foods or to exercise.  That all changed in my late thirties.  And for me it is true what they say, “it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks.”  This dog struggled but eventually learned how to make healthier food choices.  However, the practice of exercising was the most challenging for me.  The first time on the treadmill had me panting after only five minutes and I almost gave up!  Thankfully, I had a friend who encouraged me to persevere and in less than two weeks, I was walking for 45 minutes and never felt better!

Our focus as a church this week is exercising the practice of giving.  Just like exercising on the treadmill, giving financially to the church can be hard a first.  It might seem overwhelming and even a bit scary especially with all the world’s uncertainty.  But, when we give, we are exercising our trust in God and over time that trust gets stronger and stronger. It truly is an exercise that improves the health of our church.

Let us pray:  Gracious God, we ask that you guide us as we exercise the practice of giving.   Give us the strength to give as our hearts instruct us to.  Amen.