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The act of tithing was actually started by the Church, as many people know.  Scripture from the Old Testament can be found in various places, one of which being Genesis 14:20 “After winning an astounding victory in battle and retrieving his nephew Lot along with all his lost possessions, Abram thanked God by giving Melchizedek one-tenth of all he had.”  The churches adopted this practice in order to raise funds for their particular church.  It was at one point a law just as much as state taxes were in some areas.  They started off with crops and cattle and the like and then in the early 1800’s adapted the act of tithing to suite the churches needs in America.  They included chickens, eggs, and other commodities, as they were available.  Churches now still preach tithing, though it has been adapted even further to include ten percent of a person’s gross income.  Not all churches preach this, though many do.  This is a very basic history of tithing just to get everyone on the same page.  Now on to the good stuff!

Now here is where I have to put up my disclaimer.  You do not have to tithe.  You do not have to give ten percent of your gross income.  Most importantly, you do not have to give your money to the church, unless you feel inclined to do so.  I have been practicing tithing as of late, though I do not give money to a church.  I give money to people who are of integrity and are in need.  I give it to my spiritual advisors.  I give it to my co-workers and family.  All these people and groups I tithe to when I can in order of importance and need as I see fit. 

The reason why we tithe is not to ease a guilty conscience for being successful, nor is it supposed to be used as a boost for the ego.  It is an act of love toward your fellow man or woman which should be given freely with no strings attached.  The benefit of doing this on a metaphysical level is that it keeps your money flowing.  You continue to make money because you share it.  Think of people who still have their lunch money from second grade.  You know those people.  Odds are that many of them do not take care of themselves though they may live in a big house have sparse decorations and furniture.  They do not spend money on themselves or others.  They are stuck and have very little joy in their life and are always worried about their money.  I am not saying that people should not save their money, but I am saying that you have to be fearless enough to know that when you spend money or give it away that it will come back to you.  Money is more common than people think.  If wealth was distributed equally among every person in the world we would all be millionaires.

Who should we tithe to?  That is really up to you as well as the amount you tithe.  I have seen people in the drive thru at Starbucks buy the person’s standing behind them order for no other reason but  to be nice to a complete stranger.  Many times the people are so grateful that they do it for the person behind them too!  That cycle tends to continue until no one has a car behind them.  People need to have things like that happen to them.  We all have an intrinsic hope for the best for everyone.  Sometimes it takes such a simple and small act to remind us of that.  Food and coat drives are also great ways to donate.  My personal experience has taught me that tithing is practiced more often when we see the results of our generosity.  People are more inclined to give a friend that is hard up for money twenty dollars than the Red Cross for instance.  We know where the money went and know that it will be used wisely.  That is usually a good place to start.

When one of us succeeds, we all benefit.  When we give to our brothers and sisters we give to ourselves.  The power of the village far outweighs the power of a singular person.  Giving and loving one another unites us and makes us stronger.  Everyone has times of need, and one day you very well may be on the receiving end of someone else’s generosity. 

 Pay it forward.  Namaste.