I give 10% back to my community with every paycheck
“We rise by lifting others.” — Robert Ingersoll
“No one has ever become poor from giving.” — Maya Angelou
“No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.” -Aesop
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…Why do I tithe?
I tithe because it feels good to know that some of my money each month is going towards the well-being of other people, animals, and places.
I’m Christian, but I don’t tithe out of fear or obligation — I do it with a happy and content heart, and I believe that giving 10% of your income away can be done no matter what your spiritual beliefs.
Even before I identified as a born-again Christian, I gave away my money regularly, the same way that I set aside money to pay my bills.
I’ve never been “without” when I’ve tithed, and I have even found that tithing helps me to manage my budget and save my money better than ever!
Money is another form of energy. I feel grateful to have an income and the ability to give some of it away. Even when I was “just starting out” in my early twenties as a school teacher, I gave regularly and got a lot of satisfaction out of the experience.
Examples of where I direct my money these days are:
-To my church, which supports a lot of positive initiatives, ranging from local recovery and mental health programs to global missions that fight childhood poverty
-To rainforest conservation and other land and wildlife conservation organizations both locally and worldwide
-To smaller non-profits whose missions are near and dear to my heart, including women’s shelters, homeless shelters, animal shelters, local public radio stations, and cancer research programs
What are you passionate about? Do you have a set amount of money you can put towards a cause you believe in each month? Donating my tithe every two weeks (which is when I get a paycheck) is one of the greatest highlights of the month for me. I feel really good putting my money towards something bigger than myself, and knowing that it has the potential to make some else’s life a little better.
If you are thinking about making tithing or donations a regular part of your lifestyle, take a moment to work out your weekly or monthly budget. You can schedule a tithe in the same way you’d schedule an online payment of your phone bill. It’s that easy.
…Blessings to you, and to the causes you will support and nourish with your contributions! Let me know how it goes.
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Originally published on The Ascent.