tithing
every month when i write that check, i cringe. to me, it ends up being like something i'd pay no matter what, like the gas bill or my lab payment. but i still struggle writing it. i think, damn, that could've been a huge chunk of the really cool hanging system i just bought for the gallery. or man, that would get me enough sheetrock and supplies to re-do my office.
i write the check though. it's in my blood. my step-mom has always told the story about how when i was growing up, we always tithed. my dad was in seminary and had two tiny little churches he was pastoring. we made no money. there were times we literally had no food except what was growing out back in the form of tomatoes and okra. and barely any clothes, if it weren't for the generosity of extended family. one of us kids (uninsured, of course) would get hurt and my step-mom would think, well, that's it, we gotta stop tithing. and then lo and behold a random check (for exactly the amount we needed) would come in the mail from a church out west that had a fund for my dad and his new ministry. apparently it happened more than once. to the point where it's spooky.
point is, i guess, i write the flippin' check every month and sometimes wonder how on earth it's gonna' work out. sigh.
