Even The Mint In Our Garden

Why is it that when I was making almost no money, I found it easy to tithe.  Because $50 a month doesn't seem like that much money?  How come now that I'm making more money I find it so difficult to tithe.  It's still ten percent.  It's still a dime of every dollar.

Someone I know used to say that this is the only area in the Bible where God says TEST ME and see what I do.  I need to do some research and confirm that because, WOW, if that's true!

I have been really convicted about this lately.  Starting tomorrow I'm tithing out of every paycheck AND following the 10-10-80 principle of tithe 10%, save 10%, and live off the remaining 80%.  This is my version of a contract with myself (yes, this blog is equal to a Bible days oath! Haha) so feel free to keep me accountable and ask how it's going!

Pushed

You know when you’re driving and you look in the rearview mirror only to see someone coming up really fast behind you.  You feel like they’re PUSHING you and you think, “You jerk… calm down…get off my butt” or as I always say, “Wooooah, slow down turbo!”  (no, I really do…).  I love when the following happens: You change into the slower lane, they pass you, pull in front of you, and you realize that THEY TOO are being pushed by the car behind them.  Then car #1 chills out and you see that it wasn’t their fault after all.  They were feelin’ the pressure, too.

Isn’t that just like life?  I watched the movie Precious the other day and that was the main message I got out of it. We hurt because we’re hurting.  Hurt begets hurt. 

It reminds me of the saying, “Be kind, for everyone is fighting a greater battle.”  This is why grace is so important!  I am constantly reminding myself to show grace to others.  It’s so easy to expect grace, but so difficult to give it. 

So next time you feel someone pushing you, remember to look behind them and realize that they too are being pushed.  Then give grace ;-)

Competition ~ Capitalism

Today I was researching the new iPhone 4G that is allegedly coming out this summer.  I’m still debating between it and T-Mobile’s HTC HD2, which is Window’s version of the iPhone.  This blog will not be a comparison of the two, although I’m now fully equipped to have that discussion J  This is just a thought that I had while exploring the plethora of options for smartphone shoppers out there.

As I was researching, I started to love the fact that each manufacturer tries to outdo the others by coming out with newer, better, and cheaper technology and design.  How great that by trying to “one-up” the others, we get all this improvement!

Which led me to thinking about the current health care situation in America (you see the connection, right? Ha.).  I don’t know why *people with a certain political leaning* think that equality, and essentially socialism, in economics and health care is the solution to our problems.  In the same way that competition promotes advancement in the cell phone industry, it would promote advancement in the economy.  Newer, better, cheaper.  And more choices to boot.