Tithing: An Important Financial Management Tool

Tithing: An Important Financial Management Tool
by Richard P. Halverson

Nearly all-veteran members of the Church can tell stories of people who were blessed by paying tithing. Often these stories are very personal to the individual telling the story. Usually these Money Wise articles are confined to subjects that are highly quantifiable. The effects of paying an honest tithe on one's finances are not quantifiable.

I need to be clear. Paying tithing is not an investment, at least not in the sense that making a contribution to a 401k is an investment. With a 401k you can calculate what your investment will be worth years down the road and compare it to what you will need to provide for the necessities of life. If it is too low you might need to invest more. However, I do not know anyway to calculate the amount of tithing you contribute and tell you what you will be able to buy in the future. I will say, however, that in the proper context I have felt impressed many times to tell people that if they are full tithe payers they will not want for the necessities of life.

Allow me to expand on this statement with a few illustrations. I always hesitate to offer illustrations because the Lord's blessings manifest themselves very differently to each person.

Many years ago as a young bishop I felt I should kick off the tithing settlement period by giving a talk on tithing in sacrament meeting. (I now feel tithing talks should be given much earlier in the year which is probably why I am writing this article in April.) I prepared for the talk with lots of notes and prayers for inspiration. In the middle of the talk a specific thought came to my mind which I had not previously considered saying. At first I hesitated. But the thought persisted. So eventually I said, "If you must make a choice between buying food and paying tithing -- pay your tithing." I think the Lord felt I was too timid so I felt impressed to repeat the statement with more emphasis. If you knew how analytical my personality is you would not be surprised to know that I was thinking inside, "Well, I can always write them a food order if necessary."

I was probably not the only person lacking complete faith in my inspired words that day. But there was one sister in the congregation for whom these words had very real and immediate meaning. She had come to church that day with exactly that question on her mind. She was out of money and out of food. She could either pay her tithing or eat. She heard my words and believed them. After the close of the meeting she gave every last dime she had to bring her tithing full for the year. She did this knowing full well that her cupboard at home was bare. On top of that she had previously agreed to make cookies for the Primary Christmas Activity. This is the story she related to me at tithing settlement a few weeks later. On Tuesday after the tithing talk, she was standing in her kitchen rather upset. She hadn't eaten herself all that day, partially as a fast for a blessing and partially because there was nothing. She was staring at her cookie recipe and realizing she had no sugar and no money to buy sugar. She sent her seven-year old son next door to borrow some sugar. When he returned he brought sugar and a Christmas Card that she shared with me. Inside was a note that said, "Dear Jane, thanks for being a good neighbor. Please accept the enclosed check for $100. We had always intended to give you something for watching our kids when we went out of town last summer." Apparently, her son kept asking, "Mommy, why are you crying? Aren't Christmas cards supposed to make you happy?" I cried too. Not only because I was happy for, her but because I had been humbled. As the bishop I had at least been in-tune enough to say what the Lord wanted me to say on that occasion. But I also knew I had been hesitan,t and I had not had as much faith as did this dear sister.

I want you to know my faith has improved a little over the years. Still I always hesitate in retelling such stories because I have learned the Lord provides his blessings in many ways. I know many faithful tithe payers who, through little fault of their own, endure difficult financial struggles.

I think of a wonderful family. This family was a model of Mormon living including being full tithe payers. Then Jim was downsized. He was in his fifties with a good education and an excellent resume. But finding a job proved to be very difficult. Weeks dragged into months and to more than a year. Being laid off is rarely convenient but this one looked particularly bad. There were two sons on missions and two daughters on the verge of leaving for college. Over the years Jim and Brenda had served in nearly every Church calling available, including his service as a bishop for many years. I knew that he knew how the Church assistance program worked. And I knew that if anyone was worthy to receive Church assistance, it was this family. Still they did not approach me. So, I approached them. On several occasions I called them in and asked if they needed assistance. Their answer always was, "We are getting by. If we need assistance we will come and see you."

It took Jim a year and a half to get another job. It took me at least that long to understand how they had survived. Basically, they had been following the counsel of the Brethren for many years with regard to living within their means, staying out of debt, having some food storage and paying their tithing. Their kids had all been taught to work. They had jobs of one kind or another while growing up. (This was along with being the captain of about every extra curricular activity their schools could offer.) The money the kids earned had largely gone into mission and college funds. So when those things came along the money was in the bank. While he was looking for a permanent job, Jim worked at some part time jobs. Most of these seemed well below his education and previous work experience. I also noted they paid tithing on anything they did earn. But well before this crisis, Jim and Brenda had been frugal. They had always lived OK. They drove decent cars and lived in a clean respectable home. But as I thought about it, I realized at his previous income, they could have easily purchased far more expensive things. Instead they had been saving money. They used this for cash needs. They used their food storage for meals. And for a couple of years Brenda pretty much made everything the family wore. (Probably not an easy thing for a teenage girl in high school to accept.)

Financial planning is usually quantifiable. The $100 in the Christmas Card is quantifiable. Jim and Brenda's savings were quantifiable. The blessings these people received by living the law of tithing were not quantifiable. How does it work? The Lord can do many things, of course. Some may be rather visible like impressing a neighbor to give a gift. I believe most of what He does is far more subtle. So subtle we fail to see his hand in it at all. Sometimes it is so subtle we think we are doing it ourselves.

Perhaps one of the most important blessings we can receive is an entirely different attitude about what is important. I had a conversation with a brother once whose spiritual progression was being held back by tithing. I was aware of his wife's frustration over the matter. In my interview with this brother he said, "Sure, Karen wants to pay tithing but she also wants new drapes. I give in an buy the drapes so I don't have to listen to her crab about the old ones anymore." I knew this sister's taste for nice things well enough to understand what he was saying. I also knew Dave enjoyed some expensive hobbies of his own. Eventually, they did commit to paying a full tithing. I was intrigued to observe a change in attitude. They still have nice things and hobbies to this day. But their priorities shifted. The way they went about buying things changed. Their willingness to wait improved. They were happier. And I recently learned he was in position to retire early and they are looking forward to a mission. I can tell you they were not on track for early retirement before they became full tithe payers. I believe their change in attitude was a direct blessing from the Lord

Changes in attitudes, improved work skills, greater wisdom in financial matters are blessings that are not quantifiable but they are very real. Perhaps the most important thing that we can learn is that what we want so badly for ourselves is frequently not what the Lord wants for us.

I once again caution that tithing is not an investment. I believe anyone who thinks they will pay their tithing so the Lord will make their Internet stock triple is probably in for a nasty surprise. Going through the motions of living a spiritual commandment with the intention of satisfying some worldly desire is not wise. Further, I believe the Lord will bless us with greater wisdom if we are faithful in this law. But we still have our agency. Paying tithing may not overcome our own stupidity.

In conclusion, I do believe paying a faithful tithe is the first and perhaps most important step in a wise financial plan. Although, I can assure you most of the financial professionals I know would think I am crazy. I truly, believe that if we are faithful tithe payers we will not want for the necessities of life. And perhaps the first great blessing we will receive is the realization that a Jaguar parked in the garage of a $1 million home is not a necessity.

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