Mighty Mite

In Mark 12:41-44, Jesus shared a story about a widow whose generosity far outweighed her financial means.  This was a woman who truly reverenced the Lord and understood that worship included giving of her heart as well as her time and treasure.  

Mark 12:41 records that:

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts.

The crowd was probably unaware that Jesus was watching, but he saw their every move.  He saw the widow of meager means come forth right along with those who were extremely wealthy.  When the time came for the widow to give her offering, she gave it her all--and her "all" consisted of no more than two small coins known as "mites," worth only a fraction of a penny. The clink of the coins was probably heavier than their value, yet, Jesus said she gave more in those two mites than all of the might of the mighty men.

In God's economy, our heart-felt internal desires weigh much more than our external displays. So, according to God's standard, the widow's mite outweighed the large financial offering because her gift came out of her limitations, while the wealthy gifts came out of excess. The widow gave without knowing if or when more funds would be coming while the wealthy gave out of the security of knowing that there was plenty more where that came from. Both offerings may have been sincere--the wealthy gave as a demonstration of faith, but the widow gave as a test of faith.

It took great obedience and love for that widow to give her all to the Master. Her actions greatly delighted the Master for obedience is better than sacrifice--and she had displayed both! Her loving obedience and willing sacrifice remind me of a widow I know and love dearly, my mother, Dorothy Whitney.

Despite her limited means, my mother delights in giving what she has to be a blessing to others. On more than one occasion, my family and I have been the beneficiaries of her thoughtfulness, which always seems to be divinely timed. When my family had a specific financial need and prayed about where to turn, before I could even broach the subject with my mother she told me that she felt led to go to the bank earlier that day and deposit a "gift" into my account.  The gift was the exact amount we needed, at the exact time we needed it, and I had never spoken a word to her about it!

We should never think that what we have to give is too small to make a difference. God sees all, and just as Jesus observed the crowd that day, He sees every "small" gesture and act of love done in His name.  My mom praised God for helping her to be obedient to Him and was so glad that she moved when and how He instructed her to move that day.  The amount we needed was significant, but not exorbitant, and the amount she had to give was significant, but not exorbitant. In a divinely orchestrated test of faith for all of us, what we needed and what she had were both just right for her mighty mite! You just can't beat Kingdom economics!

BNcouraged!

Rev. Karen