Excited over Small Gifts

"And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:" Luke 21:1-3

How confused the people must have been when Jesus made this announcement! How could he possibly perceive that 2 mites was worth more than the abundance that the wealthy contributed? That's the difference in Jesus and us. He looks at the heart. We tend to look at the outside. We see with our eyes. We hear with our ears. We give according to our finances. Jesus was able to see, hear and even give what we can't - or in many cases - won't.

Today, when we read about the widow and the two mites, we fully understand what really took place. We know "why" the widow is considered to have given more - but do we really "know"? I ask because, all too often we fall into the same mindset as those that day who witnessed the widow's gift in comparison to what the wealthy gave. So often we get overjoyed when the financially capable donate large gifts, but do not recognize the huge gifts that the elderly, poor and even children give. We cannot see the fifty cents that a six year old gives with all his heart because we are so captured by the $500 that a wealthy member of our fellowship gives. We cannot see the hours of time a retiree puts in, cleaning and dusting the sanctuary because in our eyes, it dims in comparison to the gift of a new roof from richer congregants.

There are even congregations that encourage members or groups who give larger donations to come forward to receive recognition for their offering. Even though true believers realize that such displays rob the giver of their true reward from The Father, such a showing makes those with less to give, feel less important.

We must be careful that we obsere the "widows mite" in every facet of our lives. We must appreciate those who may only be able to give a little to us, but realize that "little" represents a large percentage of giving for them. The "little" we receive might be a blink from a quadraplegic, or a word of wisdom from the elderly. It could be a giggle from an infant or a pie from an aunt. The little could be sharing a few moments listening to a song or sharing a favorite book. Whatever the "little" is, let us begin to be thankful and pray for the sensitivity to recognize it when it comes our way. What "little" can you do for the uplifting of the kingdom today? What "little" have you recognized this week?

Let us aspire to be sensitive to the small things in life so that The Father can see fit to bless us with even bigger things. But then, aren't we already blessed with the bigger things when we acknowledge the small?

Much peace, blessings and respect to you!