You can read the other parts of this series here, here and here.
Step Three: Sacrifice our money for a specific purpose.
Pre-Radical: We have been a family that tithes no matter what since we were baby Christians. Yet, our concept of giving was not based on sacrifice. We gave of our excess. We gave what we thought was generously to causes and people we thought were deserving. We were prideful, selfish and tight-fisted without even realizing it.
Currently: Reading Radical and listening to the words of people like Frances Chan, then going back to the Word and realizing we have been wrong about giving and how we view “our” resources, our giving has radically changed.
If we make only ten thousand dollars a year, we are wealthier than 84 percent of the world, and if we make fifty thousand dollars a year, we are wealthier than 99 percent of the world. Meanwhile, more than a billion people live in desperate poverty, lacking food, water, clothing, and shelter…But what would it look like for you (or your family) to make intentional sacrifices over the next year for the glory of Christ in light of specific, urgent needs in the world? ~ Radical, pgs 194, 195
So, while we would not consider ourselves affluent we are! We are wealthier than 99 percent of the rest of the world. We are radically blessed and that leaves us with a responsibility to use that wealth to radically bless others.
What does this look like for us right now? We prayerfully let go of expenses that are unnecessary..our land line, contact lenses, we decreased eating out to once a week, setting a cap on what we will spend for clothes and shoes, driving our cars longer. We are supporting ministries that God lays on our heart, like The Mercy House and Young Lives.
Upcoming: We are currently paying on two mortgages {our old house has STILL not sold}. God has used this year of “tight” finances {which is so relative compared to the financial situations of the poorest among us} to show us that we can live on a lot less than we thought we could. We look forward to when that house sells and we can commit that mortgage payment amount to sponsoring children through Compassion and supporting other ministries around the world.
Barriers/Obstacles: Let me just be brutally transparent. We are greedy by nature. Our flesh desires things and there is a battle waged, sometimes daily, over materialism in our household. I know that the enemy hates when we live sacrificially in any form and he knows just where to attack each of us. For me, it is a new laptop or upgrading my smartphone. For the hubby, it is motorcycle parts. For our boys, it is video games and the trendiest clothing. While I am not saying we won’t ever buy a laptop or motorcycle parts or name brand shoes, we won’t be buying those things before May 2011. That was our commitment to this radical experiment. It is HARD and Christmas looks different this year. But the stories of how God has provided through our obedience are amazing and I don’t know that we could ever go back to how we lived before.