Tithing and Mary Fielding Smith
Ensign May 2002

This is some of words from Elder Earl C. Tingey, Of the Presidency of the Seventy (“The Law of Tithing” Ensign, May 2002, )

Joseph F. Smith’s mother was known as “Widow Smith.” She was the widow of Hyrum Smith, who was martyred with the Prophet Joseph. She once rebuked the tithing clerk who stated that because of her poverty, she should not have to pay her tithing. She said: “ ‘Would you deny me a blessing? If I did not pay my tithing, I should expect the Lord to withhold his blessings from me. I pay my tithing, not only because it is a law of God, but because I expect a blessing by doing it. By keeping this and other laws, I expect to prosper, and to be able to provide for my family.’ ”
Did she prosper? Her son and grandson became presidents of the Church, and her descendants today include a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and many notable Church leaders.
Speaking of his mother, Joseph F. Smith once said she paid “tithes of her sheep and cattle, the tenth pound of her butter, her tenth chicken, the tenth of her eggs, the tenth pig, the tenth calf, the tenth colt—a tenth of everything she raised.”

 

 

Joseph F. Smiths mor var kendt
som »enkefru Smith«. Hun var enke
efter Hyrum Smith, som led martyrdøden
sammen med profeten
Joseph. Hun irettesatte engang den
tiendesekretær, som sagde, at hun
på grund af sin fattigdom ikke
behøvede at betale sin tiende. Hun
sagde: »Vil du nægte mig en velsignelse?
Hvis jeg ikke betalte min
tiende, kunne jeg forvente, at Herren
holdt sine velsignelser tilbage fra
mig. Jeg betaler min tiende, ikke
alene fordi det er Guds lov, men
også fordi jeg forventer en velsignelse
for at gøre det. Ved at holde
den og andre love, forventer jeg at
blive begunstiget og være i stand til
at forsørge min familie.«7
Blev hun begunstiget? Hendes
søn og barnebarn blev præsidenter
for Kirken, og hendes efterkommere
omfatter i dag et medlem af De Tolv
Apostles Kvorum og mange fremtrædende
ledere i Kirken.
Om sin mor har Joseph F. Smith
engang sagt, at hun betalte »tiende
af hendes får og kvæg, det tiende
pund af hendes smør, hendes tiende
kylling, hendes tiende æg, tiende
svin, tiende kalv, det tiende føl – der
blev betalt tiende af alt, hvad hun
opdrættede