Life Skills
How Can I Gain a Testimony of Tithing?
Paying tithing can be hard, but a change of perspective helped me deepen my faith in this commandment.
Ever since I was young, I have always paid my tithing. But I never felt like I could really see the blessings. I followed the commandment anyway, since it’s what the Lord has asked us to do, but I wasn’t always happy about it.
When I started dating my husband, I was astounded by his strong testimony of and obedience to the law of tithing. He always gave his 10 percent with joy and diligence.
Looking at his example really inspired me to finally gain my own testimony of tithing. So I started to pray for help in changing my attitude, especially since I had recently lost my job. With consistency and time, I felt my heart change.
A New Perspective
As I started practicing gratitude and recognizing the endless blessings and gifts Heavenly Father has offered me, I began to see the 10 percent He asks for as a small sacrifice in return.
The scripture “Will a man rob God?” (3 Nephi 24:8) affected me in a new way. In fact, as I thought about the abundant blessings He gives each of His children, I realized that everything I have belongs to Him (see Psalm 24:1). Even if I gave Him all my money, it wouldn’t make up for how much He blesses me with. But He only asks for a small sacrifice in return.
With that in mind, tithing started becoming an easier and more joyful commandment for me.
Recognizing the Blessings of Diligence
But after my husband and I got married, a few situations tried my newfound testimony of tithing. We were both taking jobs that only lasted a few months, and we struggled to afford our schooling, food, and transportation costs. At times I wondered how we would make ends meet if we gave some of our sparse income to tithing. But my husband and I continued to pay our 10 percent with integrity and had faith that the Lord would provide for us as we followed His commandments (see 1 Nephi 3:7).
During the pandemic, we were struggling more than we ever had. But we attached an envelope to our wall with the word “tithing” on it and added 10 percent of any income we received. This was a time when we couldn’t immediately give our tithing to the bishop every time we got money, since COVID-19 restrictions required our meetings to be remote. I knew if we stopped adding to the envelope, it would be hard to pay tithing later on. So we were diligent for months, even in adding amounts as small as 2 soles (55 cents).
When the time came to go back to in-person church, we knew we had collected a full tithe. When we handed the envelope to the bishopric, I felt such joy and love from Heavenly Father. I considered how He had blessed us during that time, especially when the world was in such a difficult situation.
We may have struggled financially, but we always had food to eat, the money to pay for school, and the capacity to serve in callings. And eventually we even found better jobs that have allowed us to provide for our family and others in need.
A Humbling and Refining Commandment
We might not always see immediate, tangible blessings when we choose to keep the commandments, especially with tithing. But I can look back and see how abundantly Heavenly Father has blessed and sustained me and my family through paying an honest tithe.
Through this experience, I understand that all of Heavenly Father’s commandments are based in love. He has our best interest at heart. As Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:
“With all the Lord gives to us, He has asked us to return to Him and His kingdom on earth 10 percent of our increase. He has promised us that as we are honest in our tithes, He will ‘open … the windows of heaven, and pour … out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it’ [Malachi 3:10]. …
“The windows of heaven open in many ways. Some are temporal, but many are spiritual. Some are subtle and easy to overlook. Trust in the Lord’s timing; the blessings always come.”1
Since we rely so much on money to survive, what better way to show Heavenly Father our gratitude, love, and faith than by willingly offering 10 percent of our income to further the Lord’s work? Few things are more humbling and refining than following this commandment.
I am so grateful to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I know that if you have a desire to gain a stronger testimony of tithing, are diligent in following this commandment, and focus on gratitude, you will feel Their love and notice the abundance of blessings in your life—just as I have.