My sweet child was ready to walk up to the register, a crumpled bill clutched in a still-chubby fist and a pack of gum proudly held in the other. That’s when I had to break the news: “You don’t actually have enough money.”
“It says $1, and I have $1,” the preschooler replied.
“I know,” I said sympathetically, “but you don’t have enough for tax.”
Today, in the United States, is the day that taxes are due. Maybe you’ve heard your parents talking about it. Jesus talked to the Pharisees about taxes too. Some of them had come to him asking if people should pay taxes, that’s when “Jesus said to them, ‘Give the emperor what belongs to the emperor, and give God what belongs to God’” (Mark 12:17).
Taxes are the way that we pay for our city, state, and nation’s services. If your house is on fire, you’ll be thankful for the fire truck that races to help. We drive to friends’ homes safely because of the roads our government maintains. You don’t have to buy books because you can go to the library and read books that taxes already paid for. Taxes also pay for the soldiers who serve to keep your family safe.
Today, as you hear about taxes, remember to pray for our leaders, that they serve our community well and use money wisely. Pray also that we remember that the money in our pockets is a gift from God. Pray that we use his money wisely and serve his people well too.
