Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.
Mark 12:17
So we got audited by the IRS. They wanted to see our receipts for our rental homes and for our charitable donations. It is NEVER fun to get that letter and that call from the IRS, but we knew that God is in charge and we try our best to be wise stewards of what God has given us and be above reproach in what we do, living for the Lord, not men.
Anyway, I can remember the color that left Chris' face when we got the mail. I remember trying to calm him down after he spoke to our auditor on the phone who informed him that the deductions he was taking on the rental as a licensed, full-time real estate agent don't apply to him because he is a W-2ed employee and not self employed. Ouch. We made a mistake that we would owe thousands for. He kept repeating, "This is bad...the is really bad!"
Yet, I really had no fear. In that moment, I saw God's goodness. We were given this news the month that Chris made more sales commissions than any other in his entire working career. I saw God's goodness allowing us to learn this after only two years of deducting wrong...rather that 5 or 7 years of mistakes. I saw God's goodness in love for our auditor knowing that it was a person we would be able to be a testimony for Christ with that we would never have met otherwise...We are to love God and our neighbor. He loves our auditor enough to allow us to make this mistake (which, as a side note, was guided by our previous accountant) just so we could be her neighbor for these hours of our audit. I saw God's goodness as we poured over our paperwork and reflected on God's provision in really dry financial years and really flourishing years. I saw His goodness.
We were praying for opportunities to share Christ with our auditor. Though we were not able to share the good news about Christ dying on the cross to pay the penalty of our sins, we were able to live Christ before her and share what a life of loving and serving Christ looks like. As she asked us tons of personal questions, we were able to share joy and life and a family that is united and together though in good times and bad. As she made copies of our charitable giving, she saw how one who loves Jesus puts their money where their mouth is (and heart is) and gives to things that loves as Jesus loves...the church, the homeless, the poor, the missionaries, the sick, the children, the broken, the ministries that do His work and proclaim His gospel. She saw Christians who give generously with joy, knowing what the Lord has first given.
As we reviewed our mistake in deductions on our rentals, she saw us humbly owning up to our mistake. She saw how confusing and unclear the government restrictions were when it comes to Realtors being allowed to deduct on the front end rather than the back end, and how trusting we were in our accountant. She saw people whose desire is to do what it right and lawful without argument.
As we were calculating how much we owed, she informed us that she cost us about $40 because she told us that waiting for that particular date to meet (after tax day, April 15th) wouldn't cost us any more, when in fact, every day interest is charged on money owed. When she also let us know there was nothing she could do to reverse those charges, she said "sorry" several times. In that moment where we could have made a big stink, we showed grace and forgiveness. We prayed that she got a taste of Jesus from us.
As she gave us our total of over $10,000, we were eager to pay in full. We hope that she saw Christians who live out Mark 12:17. Maybe, just maybe, she looked up the church we give to and clicked on "what we believe" and heard the gospel or listened to a message about the love of Jesus Christ and the hope and forgiveness that he offers in His blood. Maybe, if not today, then in the future. Because God loves her enough to allow us to be audited in order to live our life before her and be a candle in the darkness. We pray she thirsts for Him and saw us a faithful followers of Christ.
***In that, Chris and I talked about what a joy this life is TOGETHER. We can laugh and joke at the IRS office (doing some yoga/stretching while we waited for copying to get finished). When our eyes are fixed on Him, we choose joy. It really is fun when we chose it as a unit...especially in times that can potentially provoke worry and/or fear. Instead we saw God's goodness. It was a good day!!!
