The Many Forms of Prosperity

I began a new ten-week class by Mary Morrissey and Karen Joyce this week called Prosperity Plus…A New Way of Living. I’ve taken a number of prosperity classes before, but since I’m not as prosperous as I’d like to be and this is a “new” way, I decided to invest my time and energy. The class involves making the commitment to tithe 10%, something that troubles many people. It did me too at one time, but the Rev. Edwene Gaines got me over my fear almost ten years ago, and I’ve been tithing ever since.

Now many people have the experience of their finances significantly improving once they make the commitment to tithe. The course creators expressed this as did several people in the class. I have to tell you that I have not experienced this, and I am a consistent, joyful tither. But what I can tell you is that I know, absolutely for certain, that tithing is not preventing me from being financially prosperous. In fact, I doubt that I could ever achieve permanent prosperity if I did not tithe.

And so tithing is a no-brainer for me. I would never consider giving it up as a failed experiment, because it hasn’t failed. Many wonderful things have happened to me since I began the practice:

• This past decade I’ve had the end to several chronic physical ailments and now enjoy perfect health.

• I lost about ten pounds five years ago and am now physically fit. I have the body I always wished for, so I can wear virtually anything I want and do anything I choose to without physical limitation.

• I continued the loving relationships I had all my life with both my parents until their deaths, including with my Dad after he developed Alzheimer’s disease a few years ago.

• My relationships with my twenty-something daughters is strong and loving.

• In 2007, I met the love of my life, Roger, and we just celebrated our second anniversary.

• My faith is stronger than it has ever been, and I am becoming more courageous and less fearful every day.

Yet financial prosperity has eluded me, despite trying everything I knew to do as well as I could possible do it. What’s that about? Join me next time for more.