Myth #3 – I Give in Other Ways
Several years ago, a stay-at-home mom went viral on TikTok.
In her first video, she explained the way she approached her marriage. As she cooked breakfast for herself and her young daughter, this wife told her audience that if her husband wanted food, he had to make it himself. She wasn’t his mom or maid—she was his wife. And so she wasn’t going to do things like pack his lunch, make him coffee, or help pay the bills. She figured her husband, as a grown man, could do those things on his own. She claimed that her role as a wife was to provide in other ways, primarily companionship.
In a follow-up video, the wife shared that she had not only gotten lambasted in the comments to her first video, but her husband saw the video and retaliated by kicking her out of the house. His comeback? “If you want a house, food, and clothes, get a job.” He supposedly told her that she was a grown woman, so if she wanted those things, she could get those things on her own.
Now, I have no idea if the two videos were true or simply a “skit” to get views (I suspect it was all fake). But when it comes to the topic of giving, too many Christians act like the wife. Their actions basically say, “I don’t give money. I give in other ways.”
Give All the Letters
When it comes to the topic of giving, we use the acronym FIST within the Riverwood family. Too often, we close our hands around things we want to keep for ourselves, yet God calls us to open those hands in order to generously give of our Finances, Influence, Skills, and Time.
But what we sometimes do is give in only one or two of those areas. We say, “Well, I don’t have much money, so I give my time in serving and my skills by using my talents,” or, “I don’t have any time to serve, so I’ll just throw a twenty in the plate.”
However, if you are going to let God be over your whole heart, to be Lord over your entire life, then you need to open your hands and give in all four ways. Not just give money, or just your time. Rather, give generously of your Finances, Influence, Skills, and Time.
After all, Jesus gave everything to make you His. So live like Jesus lived by giving in every area of your life.
