First Fruits....of Mowing?

Many of my first jobs involved pushing around a lawnmower. Image Credit: Wix Media

Tithing is something that was strongly encouraged by our parents as my siblings and I grew up and began earning some income working for neighbors. At first it was a nuisance: God is all powerful and knowing, if he wants money given to the church, why doesn’t he just make some appear? I slave away mowing lawns for eternity and make $15 and he has to have his hand in the pot? I mean, couldn’t he have made the hills a little less steep or helped push the mower or something?

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With ten percent of $15 being a whopping $1.50, I usually waited until the end of the year and pooled all the tithing money together from individual jobs. Then around Christmas time a catalog from a charity showed up in the mail with things like soccer balls and shoes that you could buy for children in other countries. I spent hours pouring over that thing until I knew exactly what I wanted to donate and exuberantly sprinted to the mailbox with the completed form and the check mom wrote out for me (nickels take a lot of postage). As proud as I was, you would think I solved world hunger all by my onesie.

Let’s talk about first fruits…

Bringing in a bountiful harvest. Image Credit: Shelley Pauls

First fruits is a biblical term, meaning to give both the best and earliest of grown goods and those requiring labor. Historically this meant crops (grown) and livestock (required labor). These were offered as burnt or cereal offerings to the LORD through the Levitical priests for the forgiveness of sins. This was ended with Christ’s sacrifice and the institution of reconciliation, but the concept of sacrifice is still highly applicable today.

The joy of giving never ceases to amaze me. Image Credit: Katt Yukawa

The beauty of sacrifice confounds me: Why does it make us so happy when we do something that, rationally, makes no sense. Why does giving of our time, talents, and treasure bring us joy? One of my favorite lines from a song is, “I’m so tired of chasing dreams when I am wired to let you lead” (What You Want by Tenth Ave North). I think this provides the answer: we are made in the image and likeness of God who is completely selfless. When we are selfless, we’re doing what we were wired to do.

This week I challenge you to join me in giving of your time, talent, or treasure in a conscious way and pay attention to how you feel. How did it go? I love stories! Whether your gift was solving world hunger with $1.50 or helping someone cross the street, I encourage you to share that experience with me on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/FudeLogan

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Leviticus: https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/leviticus

Christ's Sacrifice: https://catholicstraightanswers.com/why-is-jesus-called-the-lamb-of-god/