Broken down, far from home, with no tangible way out…this may be Bob Lotich‘s story of his breaking point, but it’s a universal story we all know in all kinds of ways. Overwhelmed by debt, at a dead-end job, living dependent on the next paycheck, Bob cried out for the wisdom of the Father. His trust shifted from money to his Provider, and Biblical principles – most contrary to the world’s philosophy he’d called truth for so long – reshaped his view of living a life rooted in generosity. It’s a grace to welcome Bob Lotish to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Bob Lotich

When I was 13 years old, my parents sent me to summer camp. I remember being led up to a high platform while all my friends and other peers watched from below. Once I was in position, the camp leader instructed me to turn around, lean back, and fall.

As I stood there, I felt everything in my body telling me not to fall. For over 12 years, my body had both consciously and unconsciously worked to not fall every time I was on my feet. And now, here I was, trying to do the exact opposite.

Confusion swept over my nerve endings as my mind attempted to change the protocol. And not only change it. I was asking my body to do something that completely defied its duty of self-preservation.

My mind understood the command to let go and fall, but my body was resisting. I knew they were going to catch me. I could rationalize that they probably did this day in and day out at this camp. I told myself, There is no way they’d let me fall. They’re going to catch me.

But the only way I could show that I trusted my friends was to actually fall. I had to stop trusting in myself—my ability to keep myself standing—and trust them instead.

To prove that my trust was in them, I had to simply let go.

So often we trust in our money to make our struggles disappear. But when we do, we put our faith in money, not our Provider.

Biblical scholar John Piper says, You can’t trust in God and in money at the same time. Belief in one is unbelief in the other.” It’s time to break our trust in money. And it really is just as simple as the trust fall at my camp: let go.

“The best way I know to let go of my trust in money is by giving— it’s an incredibly effective antidote.”

The best way I know to let go of my trust in money is by giving— it’s an incredibly effective antidote.

We see the remedy in Matthew in the story of the rich young ruler.  This rich kid had it all. He had followed all the laws but was bound by his love for and trust in money.

The cure? Jesus prescribed generosity.

And in Luke, we have Zacchaeus, a wealthy chief tax collector Jesus visited.  He was despised for his greed. We don’t know exactly what Jesus said to him, but we do know that after Jesus left, he gave half his wealth to the poor. It sure seems like, in order to break Zacchaeus’s love of money, Jesus gave him a prescription similar to the one He gave to the rich young ruler.

In both of these instances, when Jesus encountered people who had placed their trust in money rather than God, He prescribed giving as the remedy.

“When Jesus encountered people who had placed their trust in money rather than God, He prescribed giving as the remedy.”

Let’s be honest. It’s simple but not easy. Whenever faced with giving in a way that feels uncomfortable, I return to that trust fall all those years ago. I’m a 13-year-old boy again, experiencing that same resistance to letting go, that same desire for self-preservation.

But falling six feet and landing like a feather in my friends’ gentle hands was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. At first, I felt out of control and helpless. I was clinging only to the hope that they would come through for me. And when they did, it was exhilarating. I wanted to get back in line and do it again.

You know what?

Every time God has led me to give in a way that goes against my innate desire for self-preservation, He has always come through too.

And every time, I experience that same exhilarating thrill as I land like a feather in God’s gentle hands.

Just like after that trust fall, I find myself eagerly waiting for the opportunity to do it again.

In his approachable style, Bob Lotich (along with his fun-loving wife, Linda) shares everything he learned about achieving true financial freedom in this hope-filled guide to not just earning money, but to giving it away, and actually enjoy it all while designing a life of freedom and eternal impact.

A life lived generously starts with open hands.

Holding our time, talents and treasure with a loose grip, Bob walks with us in changing our view of what God entrusts us with.

[ Our humble thanks to Waterbrook for their partnership in today’s devotion ]