Civic Duty As a Tithe

A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle.
Benjamin Franklin


When I was a little girl my father taught me about tithing.  I remember the lesson well.  He taught that the Lord has asked us to return a tithe.  This tithe was to be not only monies given to the church, but included time as well.  He explained that we had been blessed to be born in the one country that would allow us to have true freedom and  as recipients of that blessing we owed a tithe to insure that others would have the same blessing.  Just as we donate our time in church service, we should donate time in community service.  As a history teacher, he taught us that this country was founded on the service of others.  Our founding fathers gave up much of what they had and endured many hardships so that we could enjoy the freedom that is so often taken for granted.

My childhood is filled with memories of my parents giving back to the community.  My father served on the planning commission and the city council.  He served in the State Legislature and most recently as Mayor.  He and my mother also served on many community committees that helped organize events in the small town where I grew up.  My mother played the piano for a community singing group and our home was often filled with their voices raised in song as they practiced.

Other of my earliest memories include sitting in the living room listening to my father and my uncles discuss politics and who needed help in the community, helping my father campaign, taking meals to people, helping build homes in the community, taking produce from our garden to individuals, etc.  I remember one summer when there was a family in the neighborhood that was struggling and the mother had decided to start a home preschool/ daycare.  Even though my mother was a "stay-at-home mom", we soon found ourselves enrolled in the program. And yes, it was fun.  I remember learning to sing Frere Jaques, drying grapes to make raisins and drinking coconut milk.  From their example I learned that while a town may be made of individuals, a community looked after one another.

As I have applied the lessons learned as a child to my life as an adult, my world has been expanded exponentially.  I have been able to meet people that I would not have met otherwise and now consider my dearest friends.  I have gained experience that I would have had in no other way.  Opportunities have been opened for me that I could not have imagined as I looked for ways to return my tithe.  Just as I treasure the memories of service that I have from childhood, my grown children can relate stories from their own childhood where they have worked side-by-side with us on a community project and these times have allowed us to grow closer as a family.

Our family has lived many places across this country.  As we have embraced each new town, the same lesson I learned as a child holds true - A community looks after one another.  Each of us have a responsibility to find a way to serve in our community; to offer a tithe of ourselves.