The following is an excerpt from a compilation of some spiritual experiences my grandparents recorded and gave to their grandchildren for Christmas many years ago. I read through the little book again just recently and thought this excerpt in particular was perfect for the blog. It was written by my Grandmother, Cleone Wilcken, who has since passed away (almost three years ago this fall)
"Several years ago ago a young man visiting our Ward bore his testimony and told of a wise home teaching companion he had when just a teacher. This man told him that in order for the Lord to bless us with the ability to give we had to give and give and give. Now I'm sure this advice could be taken in lots of ways but at the time I interpreted it to mean financially.
Awhile later the Bishopric asked us to meet about the possibility of building a new church for our Ward. I sat in the meeting wondering how on earth we would be able to contribute to the building of a new chapel. Let me fill you in just a little. At that time the members of the Ward were to raise 30% of the cost of the building. As I remember the total cost was to be $600,000. Because of inflation before we were through the cost was over $1,000,000. As I thought about it I knew the Bishop would expect our family to donate as much as any family in the Ward and we were also facing having two missionaries serving their missions during that time. Inside myself I panicked wondering how in the world we would ever be able to do what was expected.
A short time later I was reading one of Sterling W. Sill's books and he quoted a verse from Luke 6:38 which I would like to quote: "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again". Never has a scripture hit me with such force as that one did. I knew it was meant just for me. Now you need to realize that I was a child of the depression where money was very tight. We counted every penny and went without a lot of things. We did not go hungry as a lot of people did because Dad was a farmer and we raised a lot of our food. After Dee and I were married for quite a few years money was also tight and there wasn't much to go around and maybe that is one of the reasons this scripture hit with such force.
Many times while we were raising money for the church i wrote checks for the building fund when I was pretty sure there was not enough money in the bank to cover them but it was always there.
From this scripture and this experience I learned a very valuable lesson that I will never forget. You can never get ahead of the Lord. He always gives more than he expects you to.
