… and with the seasons changing this week, I am mindful of the changes of life that cannot be ignored.  Changes like body limitations and aches and pains that refuse to go away!  I would say that I am certainly entering the fall season of my life.  At 60 years old, I can say with certainty that “I have more yesterdays than I have tomorrows.”  These are words made famous to me by my grandmother… Maxine, who most of you knew as “Grandma.”

I would like to reflect on her use of her later seasons of life to offer you an encouraging thought about life.  Grandma outlived her second husband, Carl, who died in 1991, on his 72^nd birthday.  At that time I had been a pastor for a few years and Grandma asked me about the discipline of tithing.  I explained it as the giving of the top ten percent of one’s income… to be dedicated to the Lord.  From there she did some figuring and reported back to me, “Mike, I am going to tithe this year and, if I can manage, I will tithe for the rest of my life.”  She was 69 years old at the time, widowed twice.

Grandma not only managed, but her finances thrived.  She reported to me that she had more income than she needed, put more into savings than she had thought she would be able to do living on her own.  You could argue that Carl had left her in good financial shape, after all, he had been an insurance executive for most of his work career.  And he did.  She received a pension that was set up to provide income for the rest of her life.  But was there more at work than just Carl’s good planning?

I believe it was Grandma’s decision to fully trust the Lord with her finances.  She was so proud to offer financial support to me in 1998, when I started my MDiv program at Fuller Theological Seminary.  This was one of the many uses of her dedicated giving she maintained through her senior years.  I remain a grateful beneficiary of her devotion to the Lord, and she provided our young family relief from what would have been burdensome student loans.

So, as we embark on this fall season, take an inventory of your life and ask the Lord for clear guidance on anything you want… He is trustworthy and good.  His way of life is right and obedience is so worth it!

For His glory,

Pastor Mike