Early in the Story of God, a man named Abram is called by God. Genesis 12.1-3 says 1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you. Abram (later renamed Abraham) is given much but with the blessing comes a tremendous responsibility, to bless those around him.
This fall I began to give my kids a set amount of money each week. While this may sound like an allowance and technically may be, I have approached it from the Abraham perspective. I told the kids that God has blessed us, Mom and Dad, with good jobs and we want to share that blessing with them.
As part of the Tate family I want them to personally experience the blessings Mom and Dad have received. While I know the kids benefit from our blessings through having a home, food, clothes, etc. I want them to have a portion of the blessing that they have a say about.
Each week I remind the kids why I am giving them money, because God has blessed us, and we want to bless and share with them. Each week I encourage them to think about how they can personally bless someone else. With all that they have received, how will they give to someone else?
I will not lie, as of today when I am writing this, my kids haven’t given their money away to “bless” someone else. They are saving it, which is not bad either. I am laying the foundation to cultivate a generous heart. It is not a one-time teaching, it takes time and effort. There are teachable moments throughout the process.
I want to teach my kids to be generous. My kids as well as I need to cultivate a generous heart and Abraham’s story does that for me. I am blessed so that I can bless others. That blessing is not just a financial, but it includes my possessions and time, opening my home to friends, serving and giving back to the community, etc.
St. Ignatius speaks of holding loosely to whatever comes my way. To not be tied down or possessive of whatever I have received. Mother Teresa says, “I take what He gives, and gives what He takes, with a smile.” Everything received is a gift.
On January 10 in the K6 Experience Studios the kids began to study Psalm 23, helping them grasp that with “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack for nothing, I have everything I need.” When I know and believe that all my needs are being met, I can begin to give and give generously to others because I know that all that I have is a gift from God.
Then on January 17 (yesterday) Dave started a new series called Heart of Gold: The Joy of Living Generously. It’s about helping us grasp what the Bible teaches about finances. Teaching atlases are available at Sound Words and you need to buy one! Seriously, each chapter in the teaching atlas includes a special section called “activities for you and your children.” If you have never bought a teaching atlas, this is the time to do so.(The book is also available on amazon.com, Dr. David McDonald)
Every loving, caring parent teaches their kids the basics competencies of life. Manners -please and thank you; brush their teeth; put things back where you found them; be a good friend, etc. We MUST teach be intentional about teaching our kids the basic spiritual competencies of life: Giving generously, serving, loving others, and looking out for those who need help.
The stars have aligned and the time is right! The K6 Studio and Dave’s teachings are a great segue to teach our kids to live generously.
NOTE: During the Heart of Gold series you can catch stories about families and money on either loritate.blogspot.com or westwindskids.blogspot.com. If you have stories to share please send them to my email.
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