~by Amanda

tithing pic

As members of the LDS church, we believe in paying a 10% tithing on any increase we receive. For example, if we make $10 then we give $1 to the church. The money is used for all sorts of things – the building and maintenance of temples and churches, missionary work, educating church members and more.

People often wonder why we would do something like this.

We believe that the Lord has commanded to give back part of what he has given us. In return, we are blessed in many ways. By paying our tithing we are able to show the Lord our faith, love, and devotion to Him. We are also showing our gratitude for the things that we have and we are showing Him that we trust Him to help us. In return, it seems that we are blessed to have the things that we need.

I have had experiences where I have seen blessings of paying tithing in my own life.

Money is tight in our house and my boys desperately needed a dresser. They had been using bins under their beds, but it just wasn’t working. I really wanted to go and buy a dresser but I couldn’t bring myself to spend money that we didn’t have. I collected the money that I needed to pay for tithing one Sunday morning and put it with my scriptures. I checked my email and there was a message from our Relief Society President ~ a member of my ward had a dresser that they didn’t need. I was able to get my boys a dresser for their room and I truly believe that it is because I was paying my tithing.

When we lived in our old house, I had a salon. In our current home, I have no room for a salon but I still give people haircuts for extra money. I have noticed that when I pay my tithing, I seem to have people call for a haircut more often and I am able to earn money that is needed for groceries and other things around the house. I believe that this is a way the Lord is blessing me and my family for our obedience to this law.

On the LDS church’s website you can read stories of other women from all over the world who have gained a testimony of tithing. An example of a story from that article includes the following:

Josefa Margarida dos Santos Fontes of Brazil shares, “When I was baptized in 2001, I began paying tithing every month. Then just eight months later, my husband passed away. I became a widow with two small children at home and one son on a mission. Although my financial problems were serious, I never stopped paying tithing. I have been blessed with more and more work, which has enabled me to earn more money. But even more important, because I pay my tithing I always feel at peace with the Lord.

“Today my small house seems big and comfortable. I feel calm with my two little children. I will never stop paying tithing because I know the Lord has blessed me not only with physical and spiritual health but also with wisdom and peace.”

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Read more about tithing here.

Read others’ experiences with and thoughts about tithing here.

You can read thoughts from other Mormon women about tithing in the comments on this post.

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