Sorry for the blog neglect! I’ve been focusing on my other site, Padded Tush Stats, and getting my qualifying exam papers done for my doctorate degree.

Last time I wrote you about our financial situation, well I was in bad shape. I was in such bad shape that the electricity was turned off WHILE I was writing the post. Last I spoke with you, I told you my decision of donating 10% of my money to my Church. Boy oh boy you have to read this update.

Sorry I’ve been missing, but I am getting take my qualifying exams!

I had decided at that point to start tithing our money. So the next month came, and I didn’t have enough money at the beginning so I decided to pay the tithing at the second half of the month when the second paycheck came in. Well guess what? I didn’t. I decided to pay at the beginning of the next month, but yet again, when the month started and I saw all the bills that needed to be paid, I chickened out and said I’d pay at the second half of the month. Guess what? I didn’t.

And we’ve had tremendous financial calamities hit us during this time. Our power was turned off two more times since I wrote you, my daughter needed to go to the ER, a paycheck we were expecting was delayed. To make matters even more terrible, one night we went and withdrew all of our spending money for the month from the ATM. This included all of our grocery money, clothing money, etc. We made one stop on the way home, but my husband didn’t even get out of the car. We came home, came inside, and in that amount of time, we somehow couldn’t find his wallet anywhere. It made no sense. We went nowhere else. We tore apart our house. We were frustrated and sickened by the fact that all of our food money was gone. It was terrible and a very dark time for us.

So when this month started, I was DETERMINED to pay tithing, even if that meant the check would bounce.

I paid it and sent the check out in the mail.

Days later, I suddenly got a check in the mail from my work–turns out they calculated my paycheck wrong and didn’t give me enough money (I had noticed that pay difference, but given that my latest class I teach is way less grading, I figured the low amount was incorrect). So the next payperiod, they paid me double.

Then the unthinkable happened one day. While going through a box of diapers to sell, I found my husband’s wallet. It must have been set down on a table and I put diapers on top to load into a box. In there were the hundreds of dollars we had lost and desperately needed. When we looked at our bank account that day, we found that our tithing check had cashed the day before. Coincidence?

Brace yourself. It gets better. My husband’s work mentioned to him that they wanted to promote him to a tech position with a significant raise. He has been working in that new promoted position for a month now and already he is up for another promotion.

I’m not saying that tithing your money will give these blessings all the time, but I am SURE that these blessings were a result of our decision to be obedient and pay 10% of our money to our church. Not everyone has these stories, but maybe I NEED these examples set so that I really learn.

So, Baby Step accomplished. No matter how LITTLE money I have, ALWAYS tithe at the first of the month. No putting off, just DO it.

What should my next baby step be?

Do you have any stories like this? Do share!