Finances — the amount and how they are used is always a part of family life. As a child of Christian parents, I was always taught to tithe. It took a few years of maturity before I really understood what a tithe was, but I understood early that I was to give God a dime out of every dollar that I called mine. It was in the “mature” stage that I understood that all my dollars belonged to God; tithing was just the privilege I had to give back a portion of what He had given me.

And it is a privilege — a privilege I consider a blessing, so it’s easy to give with a “cheerful heart” like we are instructed. Why do I consider it a privilege to give back a portion of my income? If we take time to think about it, there are huge swaths of people that aren’t in a position to give money.

I’ve visited numerous worship services in nursing homes, and most were a lot like a church worship service — announcements, singing, special music and a message. I never saw an opportunity to give tithes and offerings. 

Multitudes are ill on Sundays, confined to hospital beds and ICU rooms. The waiting rooms are full of worried, frightened family members. You won’t find a combined worship service in those places and certainly no thought of giving a tithe. 

Many of the working class do just that on Sundays and can’t attend worship services with a congregation. They miss out on the privilege of worshiping with fellow believers and the privilege of giving a tenth of their income.

We have special friends who are serving as missionaries in remote and secret places in other countries. Some are in the process of planting churches with scant interest by the locals that they are trying to reach. Missionaries like these sometimes haven’t a real experience of sharing in a worship service and certainly wouldn’t open an “infant” gathering of interested attendees with a message on tithing.

I continue to read horror stories of prison life in North Korea. Christians and their families are arrested and locked away in prison camps and forced to do hard labor in horrific conditions. Many die from starvation and others don’t survive the bitter winters due to inadequate clothing. We in America take freedom to worship and privilege to tithe much too lightly.

When I attend worship services at the women’s prison, the majority of those striped-clad women participate as true worshipers. There’s joy in their singing, and they express a beautiful freedom as they worship. I was surprised the first time I heard one of the female field ministers remind the women to bring their tithes. Tithes? These women can’t have any cash or credit cards. I asked a prisoner how they tithed. “They can purchase items from the ‘store’ that draws payments from accounts that family members sometimes provide. We ask them to consider giving from that,” was the answer.

Before she finished her answer, a prisoner walked up with a Ramen noodle pack and gave it as her tithe. The Bible story of the widow giving her mite was re-lived before me. What a privilege to give back a portion of what my Father has given me.

Camille Anding, The Daily Leader, P. O. Box 551, Brookhaven, MS 39602.