Giving back to God

We are trying to teach our boys that everything we have comes from God and that, as a result, we need to give back to him. We just started giving our boys an allowance each month to help them learn how to manage money (or at least start understanding a little more about money). They get $1 for each year of their life so Isaac gets $5 while Caleb gets $3.

When we did this the first time last month, we talked about how it is their paycheck just like Dad and Mom get paid each month and that it is their responsibility to do with it what they want. However, to teach them about tithing and saving, we added the following rule when they get paid: one always goes to God and one goes into saving; the rest is theirs to spend however they want. (We got this idea from some friends and from the whole "Love and Logic" parenting principle.)

It all sounds pretty basic and straightforward...to us adults. To a three year-old and five year-old it is not always as obvious. Below are two different conversations we have had with the boys who are obviously trying to still figure out the tithing part of it.

Isaac's perspective:
At first Isaac was not too excited about losing one dollar and actually said, "That's okay, I think I will just keep this one." (Yeah, we had a little talk about its being a gift from God in the first place and that we need to give back to God with joy...I am not sure that he was still totally convinced.) Our conversation continued, but he got a little hung up on actually giving it to God; he took us literally and thought God was going to be at church to collect his money. When we further explained that the deacons collect the money to help God and others, his next question was, "But how do they get it to him? Do they send it up to him?" (The image I got from his question was one of the deacons sticking our money in one of those bank tubes and shooting it up to heaven...maybe that is something like he was imagining. Who knows???)

Caleb's perspective:
Since our boys leave for children's worship midway through the service, the boys have not been in the sanctuary to put their offering in the plate. Today was the first Sunday this month when they were still with us for the offering and able to put it in the basket as it passed by. Rebecca, a good friend of ours and the boys' teacher for moms' group preschool, is a deacon and happened to be up to usher today and handed us the offering baskets. Today at lunch we were talking about giving our money to God since it is the beginning of the month again. Without missing a beat, Caleb asked, "Is Miss Rebecca Jesus?" (It took us a moment to put together what we said and the fact that he put the money in the basket she passed to us.)

To see our religious beliefs and the things we do because of our faith through a child's eyes is so amazing! I catch myself at a loss for words in trying to explain something that is such a part of my being. I am thankful that God uses our children to make me stop and really think about why I do things so I can not only explain it more clearly to them but also live my faith with meaning and not out of habit.