And like all good Christians, we taught EJ how to find a tenth and fill out a tithing envelope. Two weeks ago, he put in his first tithe. (He had earned an odd amount, but I didn't have change, so I just gave him $11--and thankfully he had a dime from something previous, so finding and giving his tenth was fairly easy.) This week, his tithe was a strange, odd amount. It took a while, but his brain got some exercise while he figured out how much he should give if he didn't have any pennies.
Everywhere we go, he takes his wallet and asks what he can spend his money on. Everywhere we go, he talks about what he wants to buy, but he never actually buys anything. This morning, he took his wallet to church, and when the offering plate started coming our way, he silently pulled out his wallet and retrieved some change. It wasn't a showy, "Hey, I have some money!" thing; it wasn't a hesitant, "Should I give some money since I have some?" thing. Honestly, I think that money was burning a hole in his pocket, and he finally realized where he could spend it without having to wonder if he could get a better deal somewhere else. If only we all thought like that!