Dear Family:

I told you I'd write you back. Did you indulge in the last letter? I hope it made sense.

You know I gotta keep the tradition. Giving my first to God before anything else.

The reason isn't about what I get back. It's about what He's already done. It's a heart thing. It's me saying thank you.

And when it comes first, it says: I trust you to provide what I need, instead of chasing what I want.

Ok, let's get on with it.

My second argument I mentioned in the last letter: whether you want to believe in a relationship with God or not, you can't deny the existence of "laws of the land."

I've got a story I'm not sure I'm excited to share, but I need to drive my point home. It's about our beliefs around money, freedom, and wealth in relation to our belief in God.

Here I go.

Years ago, I went to visit Grandma. We sat down. We talked. We laughed. We hung out.

I used to do it so much more at the time because I was beginning to dive deeper into my walk with the Lord. I was always pretty faith-driven, but something was calling me deeper. I needed a mentor to guide me and give me wisdom.

Things were great.

I sat in that chair right off the kitchen just laughing and giggling. I told her I'd been single and the women couldn't get enough of me. She just laughed.

Boy, Grandma's cackle. You remember how loud she would get? Sounded like the start of tornado sirens. You could hear it a mile away.

Good times.

Anyways, I'd started a business and we had this deep talk about wealth. So I decided to be honest.

"Granny, I'm not wicked or anything. I want to make a lot of money. I want to be so blessed I can be a vessel."

I was proud. It came from an honest place. Not just for me, but for those connected to me.

Welllllll, Grandma's response:

"That's not your job, that's the Lord's job. Don't you know all rich people are going to hell, unless they give up their wealth?"

Maybe I'm remembering it not from her exact words, but from the exact feelings her words gave me.

She quoted all 3 gospels. All 3, bro. Mark, Luke, and Matthew.

This destroyed me.

I battled with this for a few years. Because I didn't want to choose money over my faith. And I never will.

As time went by, I found myself downplaying my abilities. Trying to fit into boxes I shouldn't.

I became less faith-driven. More of what we call "reliant on God."

But really? It was just fear and laziness disguised as faith.

Every day it would kill me. I'd ask God:

"Why would you put this fire inside of me if you didn't want me to use it?"

After some time, the visits got less frequent and I began studying on my own. I read. I prayed. I waited.

And what I saw made me lean more into my relationship with God than with Grandma.

Eventually, I got bold enough to reread those verses. I studied them from a place of wisdom.

And here's what I found.

She was right….. and she was wrong.

See, it does say that. Kind of.

But Bishop T.D. Jakes says this really cool thing. He says:

"When you read the Bible, you've got to read between the lines. Don't read it for what it says — read it for what it's SAYING."

And when I did that, I found it's all about a heart posture.

It's saying you can't take it with you. And when money becomes your God? Regardless of how much you have, you've already lost.

Many people twist and get things wrong. Like "money is the root of all evil."

Sure, you can take it at face value. But actually, the verse says "the LOVE of money is the root of all evil."

That one word, one misinterpretation can have a whole generation avoiding money and its environments like the bubonic plague.

Our hand-me-down beliefs about money play a huge role in our overall relationship with it.

And unfortunately, whether you agree or not isn't relevant. You can disagree, hate it, refuse to believe it. But until you abide by the law, you'll forever reap the consequences and be a stranger to its benefits.

That's right. It's ok to want to be rich. It's ok to want to be wealthy.

It's ok to have money. Just don't let money have you.

How?

I'm happy you asked.

Just this week, before writing to you, I went in my closet and threw a bunch of things away.

Why?

Because I have more than I need, and it's just sitting. I've given things away that I prayed and begged for.

All so I can keep myself in check. Especially when I find it harder to hear God's word.

I give, or find some way to release what's in my hand. Because at that moment, I realize what I have has become more important than the One that gave it to me.

So giving is non-negotiable for me. For us, cousin.

Not because we do some ritualistic way of living. Because we are called. Called to serve. Called to have abundance so we can bless others.

And worth noting: God doesn't give you more just for you. It's resources so you can be a help and a blessing to others.

So answering that call means I have a duty to give. Because it's literally our obligation. But also to do it as often as possible.

Because without it, we lose sight of the One feeding us.

Without it, we drink our own juice and start thinking we did it. When in fact, we did not.

So did you get it? The breadcrumb, I mean?

Being generous returns more. It's obedient. And quiet as kept, it keeps you in the game long enough to let things compound.

See, we were taught it's a thing you do at church. Or to be nice. Or when you can.

But my advice?

It's a thing you do everywhere. Regardless of how you feel. Even when you can't.

Because generosity isn't something you do.

It's a way of life. It's something you live.

When it becomes a way of life, you'll see blessings return in every area of your life.

I'll send Part 3 next week. Love you so much. Hope these letters are helping.

TTYL.

Your Cousin: Earl