Freely Speaking with Shayla

Have you ever felt that you don’t have anything to give or that your gift is so small that it is insignificant? Have you ever thought, why bother? It’s not big enough to make a difference.

I wonder how the poor widow with only two mites, in Luke 21:1-4, felt when she was in the presence of the rich. I wonder if she felt despised. I wonder if she felt out of place. I wonder if she thought her gift wasn’t good enough or didn’t carry much weight or value.

We are not privy to her story. We don’t know what transpired in her life that left her poor and a widow. We are not aware of her feelings, but we do get to see her in action. She didn’t have much, monetarily, compared to the others around her. The others put their gifts in the treasury. And here she was with only two mites. But she didn’t let that stop her from giving. She took her two mites and put them in the treasury, just like the others with riches. And she is recorded in the word of God as an example unto us.

If her actions are not encouraging enough, let us allow the words of Jesus to speak to our hearts. “So He said, ‘Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had’” (Luke 21:3-4 NKJV).

I’m sure the words of Jesus felt like validation for her. And may they encourage us to give boldly, even when we think our gift is too small or insignificant. I’m so grateful that Jesus is the one who judges the significance of our giving. Has the temptation to compare ever hindered you from giving? How did you overcome this?