The way I see it, human beings just love TO GET MORE.
There is something about GETTING that thrills our very souls.
I think I told you about my observations one day while I was recording a horse race at the Indian Castle Race track.
A lady started to hand out what looked like some pamphlets, during a break in the meet.
As she passed between the seats, handing out the document, I heard a woman in front me say quite loudly: “She aint gie me none!”
A man who was sitting next to her asked her: “A wha dey be?”
Her response was instructive: ‘Me nah know but if they ah gie way something, I want me share!”
Well I newa!
You follow the reasoning here?
She don’t know what it is –could be a bomb for all you know—but she want hers!
And so, the news from Prime Minister Harris that Civil Servants will be paid a double salary, was greeted with loud acclamation.
Everyone is excited about getting an extra salary for December. After all, ‘times are hard and people want to catch they hand.’
What is amazing though, the talk I am hearing, is that ‘the money done spend or I have something already to do with it.’
I am not hearing much talk about ‘saving for a rainy day; giving something to the poor and needy nor returning of tithes and offerings to our church.’
One guy told me that the last time a double salary was paid, he managed to hold on to the extra salary until March and then he can’t recall how it just ‘disappeared.’
As people on this small island paradise, I think we should really try hard to utilize this extra bit of ‘oxygen’ wisely.
Firstly, we must acknowledge that whatever we receive, comes from God. Oh yes, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis is paying a double salary, but it was all foreordained by God Almighty.
So, with that in mind, we must recognize that we first have to give back to God.
You see God is not like Social Security for instance. In the case of Social Security, that wonderful institution does not trust us and so our 5% is deducted BEFORE we get our pay cheque.
God on the other hand, gives us the money and then trusts us to return his 10% tithe and a free will offering.
When we refuse to do that, hear this amazing fact: We ROB God!
Malachi 3: 8 puts it quite graphically:
‘Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.’
That is deep.
I have been told that when you STEAL, you wait until the owner of your intended theft is not watching and you remove property that does not belong to you, but when you ROB, you watch the person bold facedly and whether you use a gun or knife or other means, you just take what they have by brute force.
Well I newa!
I don’t want to trifle with God like that!
Did I ever tell you about the Nevisian man who ‘broke hell?’
Well, (true story). This man was assisting with some repair work at a certain shop in Gingerland.
As they placed on the galvanize on the roof on the final day, he stated quite forcefully: ‘Job done-whoever bruk this place-bruk hell!’
The very next day, it was discovered that the shop was broken into and lots of items were missing.
Amazingly, it was soon discovered that what the genius had done, was to ensure that one of the pieces of galvanize was not properly placed and he went back that night, removed the galvanize, went into the shop; took up what he wanted and went back out the same way he came in.
Small surprise that after his arrest, he picked up the uncomfortable nickname of ‘BRUK HELL.’
So, dear reader, don’t trifle with God. Return HIS tithes and offerings as a matter of priority.
Secondly, save something. I would dare say, pretend as if you did not get the extra salary and save the majority of it, after returning the tithes and offerings of course, but if you just can’t, then limit your spending.
Don’t just go on a useless shopping spree, just because you have some extra money, or by January, you will be back to square one: Brokes like a dog!
Lastly, help someone in your community, who can do with the help.
As bad as you think your circumstances are, someone else is in more dire straits than you are.
Give somebody something for Christmas and not with the intention of getting something back in return.
If you do all of these things, God will bless you richly and you will sleep a lot better at nights.
That’s the way I see it. How do you see it?