Giving Our Best, Faithfully and Joyfully!
Several weeks ago I had an unexpected call that there was a former student on campus who asked to speak to me. This was exciting news because during my years as Business Manager, I had a relatively small amount of interaction with students.
A short time later Regina (Lape) Watkins, Class of ’87, was in my office reminiscing over her years as an LCS student and expressing appreciation for the opportunity she was given to attend here. Regina reminded me that she, along with her dad and sister, spent their afternoons cleaning the classrooms and emptying trash to earn money to pay their tuition. I remember well their joyful hearts as they did their work as unto the Lord and with thankfulness to Him for the opportunity to attend a Christian school.
I wonder what my attitude would have been if my parents had asked me to work in order to pay my LCS tuition. I had a job after school delivering The Ledger for five years. The Ledger was an afternoon paper in those days, and then I went to work cleaning my dad’s sign shop. I had plans for the money I earned and was thankful my parents didn’t expect me to pay my own tuition!
Those days of handling money and being responsible for certain bills taught me many valuable lessons. Foremost, God taught me that all these good gifts are His, and He has graciously allowed me to take care of them while on this earth. What a great responsibility to manage well and give back to Him a portion of His abundance. After all, it belongs to Him anyway! He tell us to honor Him by giving of our best…the first fruits (Proverbs 3:9).
So whether we are giving or working, we should do it joyfully for His glory.