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Tithing in Full

"Is the bishop there?" The voice on the other end of the line was breathless and anxious when I answered the phone on the first ring.

Since her tone indicated such urgency, I hesitated to explain that the bishop wasn't in just then, but she quickly interrupted my explanation. "How long before he'll be there?" she asked.

I found myself speaking rapidly as I too caught her excitement. I quickly explained that he had been called to a neighbor's home for a few minutes and should be right back. "Good," she said. "I'll come and wait."

I didn't recognize the voice, and before I could say another word, I heard the click of the receiver in my ear.

It was a beautiful May afternoon. All day I could hear the shrill voices of youth mingled occasionally with the rhythmic beating of the drums of the marching band at the high school just a few blocks away. The happy sounds had kept me moving through my housework at a steady pace. I carefully put the final touches on the living room carpet, making sure the nap all went the same way. Then, standing in the doorway to avoid leaving footprints in the carpet, I admired the sprig of apricot blossoms I had placed on the mantel.

Just then the doorbell rang. Before I could answer it, Julie, a senior at the high school, came bounding into the living room and made a direct landing on the green and white loveseat near the window. I followed right behind her with no concern for the footprints in the carpet.

She was talking excitedly as she came in, and said something about having run five blocks up the hill. She was so out of breath it was impossible to make sense of what she was trying to say. She was clutching a handful of dollar bills. Then she emptied the contents of her little bag, and one-dollar bills fell out everywhere, some blending into the green carpet as they landed on the floor.

Still excitedly bouncing up and down, she asked again, "When will the bishop be back?" Then, without waiting for an answer, she said, "Oh, I'll tell you," and she began her story in detail. Just before she finished, the bishop returned and quietly took a seat. Without pausing, Julie began again from the beginning to relate her story, but this time her excitement seemed a bit more subdued.

She explained how she had been working three jobs while going to school, in hopes of raising enough money to go to college in the fall. Because of many unexpected expenses, though, she had somehow slipped behind on her tithing. This had given her considerable concern, because she knew the importance of tithing and somehow had to make it up.

As she shifted to a different position, she told about the most exciting thing that had happened at school that day. Every member of the senior class had secretly hoped they would be selected to receive either a fifty-dollar cash award or an old car that the entire student body had been admiring. Julie explained how the very thought of fifty dollars struck a responsive chord with her, since that was the exact amount required to bring her tithing up to date. She told of having a strong feeling to say a silent prayer and to promise that if she should receive the award, she would take the money and give it to the bishop for tithing just as soon as she could.