"Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, ‘Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’"

Luke 21:1-4

How Much Do You Give?

I was lying in bed late one evening, the drone of the fan washing away the chaos and stress of the day, when I heard a gentle knocking on the door. I closed my eyes and took a breath as the thought plowed through the peace that was slowly settling through my mind, “why can’t they stay in bed!” With a sigh of resignation, I responded to the knock, “come in”. A little head tentatively poked around the door, eyes glowing with an energy which belied the hour. “I drew you a picture daddy.” The corners of my lips turned up into the hint of a smile and my heart softened as the little feet shuffled over to the bed, the paper crinkling as it waived back and forth in nervous hands.

Turning in bed I looked into eyes full of love as a hand thrust the crinkled paper towards me. Reaching out I took it and looked to see chaotic pencil marks laying out the picture of a dashing man. His hair was a mass of curls which sit as a crown over a set of crazy eyes. The nose sits on the face like an awkward yellow squash, the ears protrude like butterfly wings, and a tongue is hanging precariously from a toothy grin. “Who is this?” I asked. “That’s you!” came the delighted reply. “Thank you”, I offered extending my arms for a big hug. My son threw his arms around me, turned, and the shuffling feet carried him swiftly out of the door which shut with a gentle click.

Slowly I swung me legs out of bed and made my way to the tape dispenser. Tearing off four pieces, I stuck the picture on the wall just above my side table where it hangs today. Though the drawing is far from the fine art of Leonardo’s Mona Lisa, it is one of my treasured possessions and even the wealthiest would be hard pressed to offer enough money for me to part ways with this precious gift. What makes this gift so valuable to me?

Toddler’s don’t have much to give. They don’t have a bank account, all the toys in our house are shared, even his clothes are hand me downs. A drawing is more than a sheet of paper with a dusting of graphite, they are sharing a creation of their own, drawn with a heart full of love, and given freely with abundant joy.

We are often tempted to value gifts given to the church, or to Kingdom work, by their monetary worth. God values our gifts by a different measure, are we giving freely, are we giving joyfully (2 Corinthians 9:6-15), are we giving sacrificially (Luke 21:1-4), are we giving of our own selves (Romans 12:1)?  So how much do you give? The inclination of your heart will tell you more than the numbers on the statement. Let’s strive to give like the widow in Luke 21:1-4, freely, joyfully, and sacrificially. Giving not only the money in our accounts, but of our very lives to build up the Kingdom of God and His Church.