I've been trying to recall any experiences that I might have had that would illustrate the blessings received form paying a full tithe. I'm teaching a lesson on tithing and I know lessons are always more powerful if it is something that the teacher owns.
I must have had some faith promoting experience somewhere along in my youth because I have always desired to pay my tithing and been successful at paying it first predominantly. I can think of an instance where we discovered we were not as faithful at paying it first as we thought and when we discovered the sum of the missing amount due - It was a painful check to write. I might add that it was not a good feeling to realize that we were in debt to the Lord and by so doing had denied ourselves blessings that could have been useful. But even that situation was not the typical -"we don't have money to pay both tithing and another essential need and we chose to pay tithing and were blessed for it". We just didn't have any money at all and had to earn more so that we could be straight with the Lord.
I've even been praying to help me remember a personal incident to reference to because my memory is - shall I say - less than efficient. One day, while thinking along these lines, I got the impression that this is my personal experience. It must have been the spirit because I wasn't sure what that meant and had to think about the significance of the thought for awhile. I, of course, have been studying tithing in preparation for my lesson and become more aware that, even though we weren't without funds, my tithing checks had been accumulating for quite a while and I needed to hand them into the bishop this week. (Actually, I've felt that impression for several weeks in a row - but seemed to forget it on Sundays while wrestling with all the kids).
Then my daughter asked me - did we do something extraordinary to have Papa get all those amazing things happening all of a sudden. He had been out of work for a couple of weeks and he got a call (before work would likely be available for the season) and was asked to work the next day. Not five minutes later, while he was still doing the happy dance, a friend called and said that some grain had been spilled on the road and wanted to know if we wanted it for our pigs. He dropped what he was doing and ran to fill up the back of his truck - free feed. I'm sure there were other things all of a sudden going our way too, but that is primarily what she was refering to. I thought about it and with the lesson fresh in my mind (the windows of heaven will open that there will not be room enough to receive it), I mentioned we did just hand in our tithing.
Then it occurred to me - I've been having spiritual experiences regarding tithing and every other principle of the gospel all the time - but haven't recognized them as such because it happened in everyday life rather than a narrative of that principle. It's up to me to recognize those principles-in-action and record them as a narrative so that I can see the Lord's hand in my life. That's partly what our victory journal is for but I'd like to isolate each principle of truth and see it, record it, own it, snd share it. Hopefully I'll get a collection of stories to not only strengthen my faith, but record my history and application of truth to share with my children.
