While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins.
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”
Luke 21:1-4
Oftentimes what we think is insignificant, Jesus sees very differently. This wasn’t the required Temple tax but a freewill offering, a gift to God. Imagine the sounds of the wealthy pouring their heavy bags of coins into the collection box—one after another, each secretly hoping theirs would be the most “sacrificial” sounding offering. Suddenly, this widow enters with a look of shame on her sweet face, and drops in her 2 coins. The rich dropped in tiny portions of their abundance. This woman, however, had no income because she had no husband, and she gave the gift of her very last cent. She gave up her money for food and maybe shelter. She gave everything, and trusted God with the rest.
Sometimes it doesn’t feel like we have a whole lot to offer in this world. It doesn’t feel like we have anything to offer to God. But we are still supposed to give Him what we do have, what is His. It may not feel like anything that could possibly make a difference for His Kingdom, but it will. He will take what we freely give and do remarkable things. He will enhance it, multiply it, and make from it whatever He needs.
You don’t have to have it all together, be the best, or give the most. The amount given doesn’t have to be money or even anything you own. But if you have a nice voice, sing! If you have money, give! If you have a special gift of kindness or compassion or mercy, offer it! The only insignificant gifts are the ones that don’t reflect a truly generous heart of the giver, the ones given for the wrong reasons. Even if what you give or offer or do feels insignificant, like whispers in the world, it’s okay. God will take them and amplify them, so that it’s His glory that is heard…loud and clear. You are loved!