"The church just wants my money and free labor, not actually me."
How it sounds in your head: Every message seems to end with a donation ask. Every conversation leads to, 'We need volunteers.' I feel like a wallet and a warm body, not a daughter. They want what I can give, not who I am.
"Now for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be burdensome to you; for I do not seek yours, but you. For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children."
-- 2 Corinthians 12:14Source: Transactional church culture that emphasizes giving and serving without first establishing belovedness, making the gospel feel like a pyramid scheme instead of a love story.
You've sat through multiple fundraising campaigns, been asked to serve in three ministries simultaneously, and can't remember the last time a leader asked how YOU are without it leading to a request for something.
Religious leaders were devouring widows' houses while making long prayers. One widow gave two tiny coins—all she had. Jesus didn't praise the AMOUNT; He saw HER HEART and honored her sacrifice while condemning the system exploiting her—instant vindication of her value over her gift.
I REFUSE the lie that church only wants my money and labor. IT IS WRITTEN that true spiritual fathers don't seek what I have but seek ME—my heart, my wholeness, my flourishing. Leaders who only see me as a resource are operating as hirelings, not shepherds. IT IS WRITTEN that the Father says, 'All that I have is yours'—He is a GIVER, not a taker. I am a DAUGHTER, not a donor. I carry the BARAK blessing of Abraham—the Lord commands blessing on my storehouses, and I lend to many, not borrow. God is leading me to community that celebrates who I AM, not what I can produce.
The Father is running toward you with open hands saying, 'I don't want your wallet—I want your HEART. Let Me give TO you for a while.' He's whispering the names of people who will invest in your healing without asking for anything in return, who will serve YOU until you remember what it feels like to be loved instead of used.