Hard Times and the Widow's Mite

Dear Friends:

I'm thinking tonight about a widow's mite.

From around 175-140 BC, during pre-Roman times, the Jewish people were able to make and spend their own money. The widow's mite was a small copper coin called a lepton. It was of very little value. It was made of inferior metal and was of less worth than our own penny.

Under Roman culture, the lepton was eventually replaced by the denarious which more closely equates to our penny.

The widow's mite was the kind of thing most of us ladies might let slip into the bottom of our purses. The widow's mite was the kind of coin we might throw into a junk drawer or drop into our children's piggy banks. The widow's mite could be growing dust under the car seat. It went unnoticed and ignored. Perhaps those who had them were embarrassed to spend them. The mite was worthless -- it was held in low esteem. It was the kind of coin you probably wouldn't even bother to pick up if you saw it on the street.

In the scriptures we read about scribes, pharisees, community leaders and the well-to-do who made a big ordeal when casting their money into the church treasury. They made deliberate public displays of their finery and wealth.

Then, in Mark 12:42-44, I read about a widow who humbly threw her two tiny mites into the offering plate. It was all she had. When Jesus saw this, he called his disciples together and told them that the widow who cast in all she had, although coins of very little worth -- Jesus said she had actually done far more than all the others combined.

When we give out of our own need, rather than out of an abundance, the giving is always greater.
Don't ever let anyone tell you that your two cents doesn't matter. Don't be discouraged when that is all you have to give.

This past weekend I was greatly discouraged by the fact that I felt I had little to offer. My finances were depleted. I went to the flea market to try and sell some things and discovered I couldn't even afford to pay for a booth. I had to humble myself and seek financial assistance from my own church for a utility bill which I was unable to pay. I was told the benevolent fund was empty. I called several agencies -- they too were out of funds. I volunteer each week on phone lines for a local Christian crisis hotline so I know times are tough all over and funding is often depleted.

I considered giving up on this blog. After all, what can I possibly do in terms of random acts when I am in such dire straights of my own?

That's when I remembered the widow. Suddenly, I thought of the widow and her two measley mites. Considering her plight and her fortitude, I found no reason to give up hope. No matter how bad our situation looks from the outside, it is how we respond that matters most.

Do we give up when the going gets tough or do we have the faith to persevere? Can we hold onto the promises God gives when He says He will not leave us or forsake us? Don't we know that He cares for His children and He meets our every need? If He clothes the lillies and feeds the sparrows, why not us?

I know a lady who is working on her master's degree, holding a steady job, raising four children and currently living in a pay by the month motel. She appears stuck but hangs on to hope. I also know a man whose young daughter is running a high fever and he had to borrow electricity from a neighbor just to hook a fan up in her room. At that gas station last week, I watched an elderly woman count out $2.00 in coins, mostly pennies, from a tiny change purse to pay for her gas. Each Sunday, I watch another lady ride a three wheel bicycle to church, come rain or shine.

One thing I know about giving--it is reciprocal. When we share what we have, no matter how little that may seem, God is able to bless us and make certain our needs are met. He promises we will be taken care of and our children will not go begging for bread. I believe that because I have seen it in my own life time after time. His blessings come when we're not looking from people and places we least expect.

I may not have a dime, but I just gave you my two cents worth -- and that, too, is a random act. May we always remember, its not just about money. The secret to surviving this economic crisis is to trust God and to see past what lies on the surface. Faith and fortitude is far greater than silver or gold.

May God bless and keep you in the palm of His hand.

Blessings,
Cindi (aka POETIC JUSTICE)