Tithing Blessings

Last week I got to substitute teach the home study seminary class. It was really cool. I haven't been "forced" to study such a big block of scriptures for a lesson in a long time. We were talking about the last 2 books of the Old Testament. We focused on tithing for a few minutes and reviewed Malachi 3:10:

"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."

When I gave birth to Tanner I quit my job at the YMCA and since then, I haven't "worked" outside the home. Only occasionally, have I had the opportunity to pay tithing in the past ten years. Well, when I started cleaning houses in September last year I got to start paying my own tithing again. I love it! It feels so good.

We have been the recipients of some of what I call "tithing blessings" over the past month.

First, I have more housecleaning work than I can do. I feel so lucky in that as a working mother, I have found a way to make very good money by the hour and I can set my own hours. I do NOT like leaving the home to work, but I love the people I work for!!!!! I feel that the windows of heaven opened right up and poured out the work offers for me. When I first started cleaning, I didn't know if I could find enough "clients", now I don't have room in my schedule to "receive" all the jobs!

Second, we have a neighbor up the street that I have waved to for 4 years. He walks his dog almost every day and I wave and say hi when I see him. I did not even know his name. But, several weeks he came to the house and gave Shane a big cardboard box of pint-size milks!!! With 6 kids (and a chocolate-milk-loving husband), we go through a lot of milk. This neighbor said they get milk from a dairy for their church and they had a lot leftover. He said he takes the leftovers wherever God tells him. He said "God put you in my heart, so I brought the milk to you." This was a huge blessing to us. Tommy (I finally asked his name) has brought us milk 3 or 4 times now and he has also brought us little single serving apple juices. There was so much milk at times that we "did not have room enough to receive it." We even needed to call friends over to take milk home!

So, I am so grateful to Heavenly Father for these blessings. It is so easy to focus on the hard things that happen every day. It's nice when the blessings are so obvious that you can't help but see them!