[#life Series] Parenting Part 2ናሙና

Give, save, spend

What is the order a healthy financial lifestyle operates in, according to God’s Word? We give, save, and spend. This may be challenging for us. Nevertheless, let’s make sure that the first thing we do is to give. What do most people do? Spend, charge, borrow. We end up in a world of hurt. Reverse the order. Be a giver. Give to the things of the Lord. Give to what God is doing through your local church. God doesn’t need your money. He wants to bless you with the joy of giving. 

Our next generation needs to understand the blessings of generosity. Challenge your kids to do some research on how to give to your local church and charities. Have them learn how to transfer funds from their bank accounts and how to give to charity through Amazon or their dedicated apps. Today we have many opportunities to link the giving experience to digital technologies. Your kids will feel on top of their giving if they can do it from their own phones or devices.

As with any other habit we want our kids to pick up from us, we should first do it ourselves. Live it, as an adult, and then teach the joy of giving to your kids. 

Announce: “Not just mom and dad are going to give: We are all going to give.” Get everybody around the table to discuss and decide giving at dinner. Maybe you want to tell them the amount you have available and ask everybody for input. Say, “How can we give? Who would you like to give to? What is really on your heart that we could do?”

Maybe your desire is to support kids through some organization somewhere or to give to a special program in your local church. When you discuss these things around the table, your kids will light up. When you finally agree on how to give, ask them to pray with you about it.

The result of giving is God’s provision and blessing. We want that in our kids’ lives. And that makes a huge difference: God will provide for you and you will have plenty. Let’s be faithful with what God has given to us. Whether it is giving $4 out of $40 or $40,000 out of $400,000, be faithful and let God do His work through you. You will model that to your kids and it will make a difference.