Tax Time - one of the most dreaded times of the year. To struggle with the task of the annual reporting - accounting - of your financial life - is indeed taxing - a burden that very few people enjoy. Because of the stress - most people delegate this task to somebody else. Not so in this household - the challenge of being able to track down all the data - place it in the proper space on the form - is an annual challenge that - to this one person - is a labor of love. This annual task - provides a time for one to sharpen their thinking skills and research capabilities. It is not only the tasks of "where did I put that information" - but understanding what the form is requesting. In years past it was actually more difficult - today - thanks to programs such as TurboTax - it is almost easy. Easy of course is a relative term and what is easy to one may be daunting to another. Rest assured that this tax payer will have the taxes filed on time - with a sense of accomplishment in doing so.
Taxes have been with us since the time of Jesus. Those who govern people and provide services on their behalf have always "bit the hand that feeds them". Nobody in their right mind would ask anyone to become their keeper - watching and directing what they do or how they live. That is exactly what the "Lord of the Manor" does. He watches - directs - guides - limits - imposes - all in the name of being a good provider. Unfortunately - throughout history - those who tax - waste. Waste our monies - not on us - but on themselves - self-serving - personal - private - personal ambitions and goals. Too much ends up in the wrong pockets - not for the good of the many - only a few benefit - personal gain. Jesus told us that the "poor will always be with you" - never indicating that the poor would be us. Truth be told - even with unfair taxation - even with the wasted dollars - the majority of us do live decent lives. When considering the big picture - how much money we do or don't have does not mean as much as how well we love God. If we are rich in dollars - but love God not - then we truly are the poor of the world.
Deacon Dale
Deacon Dale
