Reluctant.
Stingy. Self “Full”. Hoarding.
These are words that make your mouth curl and that leave a bitter taste in your mouth.
Not words I want said of me, anyway.
But the other day the Lord spoke to me in that awesome way He does when I am in His Word.
He said, “Kim, do you willingly give things to your husband?”
Huh?
Immediately, I shook my head “yes.” I mean, Keith is my best friend, my lover, my mate, my partner, and my all-around favorite person in the whole world!
Of course I give willingly to my husband.
Don’t I? [silence]
Do you mean in all things, Lord? [just needed the clarification of all, I guess]
2 Corinthians 9:7 says,
You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure.
Whew! Okay, good. I get to decide how much is enough.
[Silence] Keep reading.
For God loves a person who give cheerfully.
I always thought this verse to be about my giving of an offering to the Lord. While it is true that the context of this verse was about the Corinthian church giving to the saints in Jerusalem who were in need, God’s Spirit prompted in my heart that He also wanted me to understand this principle in giving.
Specifically, what I give, or don’t give, to my husband.
I knew then I needed to confess that “no, I do not always willingly give to my husband.”
There are times when I withhold gifts from him, when I hoard what God would have me give.
Sometimes it is vulnerability, sometimes complete honesty, sometimes affection.
And sometimes it is just “time.” You know what I mean ladies; we only have so much time and so much to get done.
Surely he can understand if he gets shorted a little. Right?
Wrong.
The Lord showed me that it is my assignment to make sure that I am a cheerful giver. A cheerful, generous giver. A cheerful, self-“less” giver. And a cheerful, radical giver.
To my husband.
After the extravagant gift God gave to us in His Son, Jesus, and His triumph over sin and death, I think I can be cheerful, by His grace, in giving to the husband with which He blessed me.
♥ Kim
