July 9, 2007

Saturday mornings are, with some exceptions, more or less the same for me. I get up around 7:00, make myself some breakfast, spend time reading my Bible, and then get to cleaning. Before I start cleaning, I turn on the Food Network. Paula Dean, Tyler Florence, Giada De Laurentiis, and Ina Garten all keep me company as I sweep, mop, vacuum, scrub, and dust. This past Saturday, however, was different. No Food Network. No one to keep me company. As of Friday, July 6th, 2007 Greg and I said goodbye to all but 24 TV channels – three of which are Spanish.

For weeks, we have been talking about downgrading our cable package. Talking was a lot easier than doing. Making the call to Verizon was hard. I had a much tighter grip on the Food Network, HGTV, Fox News and TLC than I thought I did! Though I cleaned to the sounds of wonderful praise music this past Saturday, I have to be honest and admit that I really missed my shows. Come Saturday afternoon when I had some down time, I was really wishing I still had the “What Not to Wear” episodes that were previously stored on our DVR (Digital Video Recorder). Even though I’ve never watched a tremendous amount of TV, I never-the-less feel like I’m going through withdrawals. I may be spending a lot more time at my parent’s house in the future - they have cable!

Why did we say goodbye to cable? Well, several months ago, Greg and I made a financial pledge for our church’s building fund, which was above and beyond the tithe. The number that the Lord laid on our hearts was larger than we had anticipated, but with hesitation (more on my part than Greg’s – he’s the generous one) we chose to step out in faith and pledge to give sacrificially. As I sit here today, Greg and I are already behind on our fulfillment of that pledge. The reason? We lost sight of the all-important truth that in order to give sacrificially, you have to sacrifice something. (It’s so simple, but let that sink in.) We made the pledge, but we failed to change our lifestyle. We wanted to give above and beyond what we had been giving without adjusting any line items in our budget.

 The other day I was reading in the Gospel of Mark about the familiar story of the widow who gave only one cent to the temple treasury. This was much less than the rich people, who were putting in large amounts. The words of Christ pierced straight into my heart: “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.” What did I learn from this passage? God is not impressed with amounts. He doesn’t applaud us because we give more than others. Rather, He is delighted by true sacrifice. Now, I’ve heard at these 50 sermons with that same message, but it came to me fresh and new that morning. The minute I read that passage, I was forced to confront what I had been ignoring for weeks – the fact that Greg and I needed to make some changes in the way we steward the money God has given us. The seemingly legitimate excuses I was leaning on were flat out unacceptable in light of God’s Word. As I started to examine each line item on our budget the Holy Spirit pointed with laser beam precision to our monthly cable cost. His voice, though inaudible, was crystal clear – the cable had to go. A few other adjustments were made, and we are now on our way to honoring the commitment that we made to our church and, of course, to God Himself.

For Greg and I, giving sacrificially means living without cable – without all of my favorite shows. Certainly, God is worthy of so much more, but that is the thing He is leading us to let go of at this time. We have a long way to go in the area of sacrifice and financial stewardship, but this has been a profound step for us, especially for me. I long to have a heart like David – a heart from which sprang these words: “I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing" (2 Sam. 24:24). I’m not quite there yet, but God continues to be ever-faithful to complete the work that He began in me so many years ago. He continues to call me to a place of surrender, and though it stings at times, I am deeply, deeply thankful.

For your own reflection:

• If you have time, read Mark 12:41-44 and “marinate” in it.
• I have a question written in the margin of this passage in my Bible that I think is worth giving some thought to: How would you feel if, like the widow, you were forever identified by what you sacrifice financially?
• Read Proverbs 3:9. Are you being faithful to obey this command? Prayerfully think through your budget. With an open heart, ask the Lord to reveal any changes that need to be made. If He reveals something, talk about it with your husband. If he doesn’t get on board, don’t push the issue. Maintain an attitude of submission. Continue to take it to the Lord in prayer, asking Him to change your husband’s heart (and to give you patience!).