Online Giving: One Giver’s Story
Can I tell you a quick story? It’s a story about giving. More specifically, it’s about a giver. Even more specifically, it’s about me.
It was late 2010, and – for what seemed like the 50th week in a row – my pockets were empty as I watched the offering plate come down my row. If it was a good week, maybe I’d have $10.00 I could toss in. More likely, though, I just let the plate pass by while making silent promises to do better next week. But then next week came, and…well…you can probably guess how that turned out.
It’s not that I didn’t want to give. It’s just that I – like so many of my peers – was still figuring out how to manage bills, student loans, savings, and a social life. All too often, it was my giving that got shortchanged. On top of that, I never carried cash, and I hadn’t seen my checkbook since college! So my giving habits ended up being determined by “whatever I have leftover.” This was hardly the life of faithful stewardship I had imagined for myself. (more…)