Financial Perspective

Last night as I was checking my Children International account for new photos and family reports (a couple are due sometime soon!), I happened to idly click on the "year-to-date contributions" link. Under the "monthly sponsorship" heading, the amount was around $800. "Huh," I thought to myself. "That's about half of one paycheck."

Then I stopped, and really thought about that realization. In seven months, my Sponsorships have cost me only half of one paycheck. Half of one, when I've earned fourteen. That means that my Sponsorships are only 3.5% of my entire after-tax income. "Wow!" I thought upon that realization. "Some people tithe 10% of their income to their church. This is less than half that!"

People have, in the past, expressed various concerns upon learning how many children I Sponsor. The majority of those concerns are phrased something like, "It's wonderful that you're so generous, but are you sure you aren't biting off more than you can chew?"

Now, instead of simply assuring them that it's not more than I can afford, I can reply, "Does 3.5% of my income sound like too much, when you consider that it's changing the lives of EIGHT families in the Philippines?"