Name it and Claim it! (?)

I don't ascribe to a Name It and Claim It mentality. I don't think God or the universe gives us everything we want just because we speak it. New Car! Trip to Italy! A Million Dollars! Having said that, I think there is certainly some truth to the power of our words. There's a truth when it comes to the things we speak and the things we dwell on. The bible is pretty clear about the power of the tongue.

Having said all that, here's the story. So the church I attend on Wednesday nights does something when they take the tithe. They put on the screen things that they are believing God for: it's the idea that God has promised to bless us if we give, that God is waiting for us to be generous and He will be generous back. This is the list we recite:

Jobs and better jobs,
Raises and bonuses
Benefits Sales and commissions
Favorable settlements
Estates and inheritances
Interests and income
Rebates and returns
Checks in the mail
Gifts and surprises
Finding money
Debts paid off
Expenses decrease
Blessing and increase


This is controversial even in the church let alone to people outside the church. But I believe there is power in words, so the congregation reads this list out loud every service right before the tithe is taken-- myself included.

Fast forward to this morning. We had an all staff meeting, we have one every month. Well, this morning they announced that at noon, all the staff gets to go to a designated place and pick up a check... not a pay check. It's a bonus. Do Something Nice with the money, our interim ceo told us. Don't spend it on the electric bill- You deserve to spend the money on yourself.

When we picked up our checks, people were flabbergasted. No reason. No warning. Each check was a large amount of money. I immediately thought of that list I had just spoken out loud the other day at church.

Gifts and surprises. Finding money. Blessing and increase.

Coincidence? Name it and Claim it? The Law of Attraction?

I'm just putting it out there that perhaps what we do with our time/money/words has further reaching ramifications than we give it credit for. Perhaps we really need to wake up to how we use our resources and how we want them returned back to us. Joy gives way to joy... and in the right mind frame, trials can also produce joy. If we have a spirit of giving, then what we receive in life will be a reflection of that. If we have a spirit of loving others before ourselves, we will receive that as well.

Should we tithe in order to gain the above blessings? No, I don't think so. Should we do good expecting good things to come back to us? I don't think that either. We give and we do good because it is the right thing to do, because we put our money and our time where it is most important to us. And true happiness comes from a thankful, joyful heart.

Let me end by saying, though, that I am not above sometimes putting God in a box. And it's really nice when he surprises me in such a blessed way!