Inspiring story about tithing.
Let
me give you a story of a woman in São Paulo, Brazil. She worked while
going to school to provide for her family. I use her own words in
telling this story. She says:
“The
university in which I studied had a regulation that prohibited the
students that were in debt from taking tests. For this reason, when I
received my salary I would first separate the money for tithing and offerings, and the remainder was allotted for the payment of the school and other expenses.
“I
remember a time when I … faced serious financial difficulties. It was a
Thursday when I received my salary. When I figured the monthly budget, I
noticed that there wouldn’t be enough to pay [both] my tithing and my
university. I would have to choose between them. The bimonthly tests
would start the following week, and if I didn’t take them I could lose
the school year. I felt great agony. … My heart ached. I had a painful
decision before me, and I didn’t know what to decide. I pondered between
the two choices: to pay tithing or to risk the possibility of not
obtaining the necessary credits to be approved in school.
“This
feeling consumed my soul and remained with me up to Saturday. It was
then that I remembered that when I was baptized I had agreed to live the
law of tithing. I had taken upon myself an obligation, not with the
missionaries, but with my Heavenly Father. At that moment, the anguish
started to disappear, giving place to a pleasant sensation of
tranquility and determination. …
“That night when I prayed, I asked the Lord to forgive me for my indecision. On Sunday, before the beginning of sacrament
meeting, I contacted the bishop, and with great pleasure I paid my
tithing and offerings. That was a special day. I felt happy and peaceful
within myself and with Heavenly Father.
“The
next day I was in my office; I tried to find a way to be able to take
the tests that would begin on Wednesday. The more I thought, the further
I felt from a solution. At that time I worked in an attorney’s office,
and my employer was the most strict and austere person I had ever met.
“The
working period was ending when my employer approached and gave the last
orders of the day. When he had done so, with his briefcase in his hand
he bid farewell. … Suddenly, he halted, and looking at me he asked, ‘How
is your college?’ I was surprised, and I couldn’t believe what I was
hearing. The only thing I could answer with a trembling voice was,
‘Everything is all right!’ He looked thoughtfully at me and bid farewell
again. …
“Suddenly
the secretary entered the room, saying that I was a very fortunate
person! When I asked her why, she simply answered: ‘The employer has
just said that from today on the company is going to pay fully for your
college and your books. Before you leave, stop at my desk and inform me
of the costs so that tomorrow I can give you the check.’
“After
she left, crying and feeling very humble, I knelt exactly where I was
and thanked the Lord for His generosity. I … said to Heavenly Father
that He didn’t have to bless me so much. I only needed the cost of one
month’s installment, and the tithing I had paid on Sunday was very small
compared to the amount I was receiving! During that prayer the words
recorded in Malachi came to my mind: ‘Prove me now herewith, saith the
Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour
you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it’ (Mal. 3:10).
Up to that moment I had never felt the magnitude of the promise
contained in that scripture and that this commandment was truly a
witness of the love that God, our Heavenly Father, gives to His children
here on earth.”
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