Just a Little

Jun 24

I am definitely a “go big or go home” kind a person. I have a tendency to want to do it up or not do it at all, especially when it comes to impact. I don’t think I am alone in this, in Western culture especially, we want to see tangible results and those are often shown by big numbers.

But what if our impact isn’t measured by big graphs and large numbers? What if the importance of something given isn’t actually revealed in how much was spent or how many were there to receive it?

What if true impact is hidden? Like a seed hiding in the ground, the gift we give with our voices, finances, time, energy, resources is buried where no one can see, taking root, ready to sprout at the right time and grow to produce way beyond it’s original value. What if the value of something isn’t based on how big or how much it is, but in how it impacts the receiver and what they do with the gift given?

What if God has the ability to multiply our gifts and make them more than we can even ask, think or imagine? What if we are all a part of a bigger plan, and our small seeds buried in faith are meant to be a part of a larger harvest?

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about the widow who gave all she had, we find her story (or what we know of it) in Mark chapter 12 starting at verse 41. Jesus and his friends were sitting at the temple after a big day of talking to religious leaders. Verse 41 says he (Jesus) “watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury.” Mark then says, “many rich people were putting in large sums.” I find it fascinating to imagine the scene. Jesus sitting in the temple with his disciples watching the people give their money to God. I love how it says that many rich people were giving large sums. I can almost see Mark as he is sitting with Jesus observing the scene before him, paying attention to all the wealthy people. Then Jesus does what he does best, draws attention to the unexpected, the seemingly insignificant. The poor widow.

“Then a poor widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little. Summoning his disciples, he said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had - all she had to live on.”

There is so much here that impacts me. First, I have found myself having many conversations about money lately as we fundraise the last half of the down payment to build Storyteller Cafe. In each conversation I have, all eyes turn to the wealthy. We do that, don’t we? Wait for the wealthy to take care of the big financial needs in the world, like a Giveback cafe to fight human trafficking. Our eyes wait for someone else who is “rich” to meet the financial needs around us. The funny thing is if we look up the word “wealthy” in the dictionary there isn’t a magic number that defines a wealthy person. The number in the bank account that equals “rich” is different for each person. Rich to me, may be a totally different number than rich to you. The common denominator I have found is most people, who I talk to anyways, don’t consider themselves “wealthy”.

It seems to me though, that Jesus does have a definition for rich, he identifies those giving large sums as giving out of their surplus, so those who have more than they need, giving from their extra and this could be a definition for wealthy. If this is a definition of wealthy, I definitely fit in the wealthy category. When I give to God, I am not giving the last of what I have, not lately anyways.

That brings me to the second part of this story that strikes me, Jesus highlights the one who gave all she had to give. She gave it all away. Not only in our current culture do we wait for the wealthy (whoever they are, maybe us?) to give to meet a need, we also don’t think we are meant to give when we don’t have our own needs met.

We would consider this widow irresponsible, it is popular money management advice, taught in churches, to make sure to not only have your personal needs met, but also to have savings for whatever may happen to your family in the future. Don’t get me wrong, I am not here to judge you and your saving habits. I want to have a surplus also just in case. For heavens sakes, we just had to pay for car repairs and I am thankful we had it in the bank. Yet at the same time, it seems to me, Jesus is honoring this woman for giving more than all the rest because she gave what she didn’t have.

The place in my life where I have personally witnessed the most miracles, is in relation to Chris and my finances. The large majority of our life we shouldn’t have been able to make it financially. We have always either worked in childcare or children’s ministry and neither one of these professions are very lucrative. I remember when we first came off the mission field and lived in Northeast Minneapolis with our 1 year old Aimee. Our income was $900 a month and our rent was $800 a month. To this day, I don’t know how we made it other than God.

I guess what I am trying to say is, maybe big impact is made through small gifts. Maybe we are the first benefactors to our giving because giving creates in us a dependance on God for our needs. Like the Israelites who were only supposed collect manna for one day at a time so they would learn to trust God for their daily bread. Maybe we are meant to take what God has given us (our surplus) and instead of a savings account for him, we are supposed be more of a pass through to give his good gifts to see his work done in the world around us. Maybe God wants to be the one that brings the interest, maybe his banking system is more lucrative than ours.

I am a person who is motivated by big impact, and yet, over and over again I see God’s economy turn the world’s upside down. Do the small things, he says. Trust me with what you have. Give to meet that need without maybe ever knowing the result. Look at the widow, she gave more than all the others because she gave all she had.

I don’t know what God may or may not be asking you to do with the resources he has given you, what I do know through personal experience, is this: first, I can’t make the “wealthy” people give out of their surplus (even if I perceive it is bigger than mine) I can only control myself, I can give what I am able. So when I am presented with a need, even if I can only give something small, I do it. Because I can, and I desperately want to be a passthrough for God to use what he has given me to help others. Second, when I give to what God is doing I always have enough for my daily needs. I think this is the Lord’s prayer lived out.

“Our Father who is in Heaven, Holy be Your name
Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. “

This prayer, prayed in unity, includes us as being a part of seeing God’s will done on earth as it is in heaven, through trusting God for our daily needs, and the ability to forgive others out of his forgiveness for us, we can live free from temptation and evil to God’s glory.

I don’t know how God multiplies small gifts of obedience and sacrifice for his great glory and purpose, but I do know each and every one of us who follow Jesus are to be a part of what he is doing.

Don’t wait to give your all to Jesus, he wants to show you a miracle by creating large impact with your seemingly small offering. Impact in you, and impact for others.