In my new capacity as deacon, I count and catalog my church’s offerings once a month.

Today, there was a $35,000 check in the offering plate. It was designated as an anonymous gift towards a couple who work part-time for the church’s college ministry. They want to be full-time campus ministers with Campus Crusade for Christ, but are working other jobs because they are required to pay down their student debt before joining Campus Crusade.

I thought this was a beautiful reflection of God’s gift to us: God pays our debt, freeing us to become co-laborers with him. It also made me contemplate the merits of debt paydown for those in ministry as an avenue of giving.